Prizren Travel Guide

Prizren is one of the most beautiful towns of Kosovo. It is located on the slopes of the Shara/Sharr Mountains and on the banks of the river Bistrica. The old centre has many beautiful houses with balconies facing gardens full of foliage. Numerous narrow, winding streets work their way up to the Kalaja - the old fortress dominating the town.

The name of Prizren in Serbian means "a place with a good/clear view". Bistrica, the river that runns through the town means in Serbian "clear water" and Shara mountain is the "dappled mountain". The visitors will notice that there are all true today as they were when they were named 1500 years ago. All of this is a unmistakable evidence that the area was settled with Serbs in continuity from 6th c. AD onwards. The Albanian names are all derogations of these names since they started inhabiting the region in greater numbers only in 16th c.

The main attractions include of course the Kalaja of Prizren dating from the 11th century and built to protect Prizren from attacks. The Bajrakli Gazi Mehmet Pasha's mosque is the oldest monument of Islamic art in Prizren. The inscription above the entrance states it was built in 1561. A hexagonal mausoleum (medresa) has been built in the courtyard of the mosque which Mehmet Pasha earmarked as his grave.

Mehmet Pasha also built a Turkish bath in the town, which is built of cut stone and large bricks, in extremely harmonious proportions. The interior is divided into two parts: the baths for men and the baths for women.

Sinan Pasha's mosque, according to inscriptions, was built in 1615. It is built mostly out of the material of the destroyed monastery of St Archangels (mid 15th c.), the burrial place of Serb emperor Stefan Dushan. The enormous dome is fitted harmoniously into the square mass of the building. The interior of the mosque is decorated with geometrical designs, still life, and draperies, while the other parts of the walls are painted in strong light colors.

One of the oldest standing structures in Prizren is the Serb-orthodox Bogorodica Ljevishka Church. It's oldest part was built in 11th c. during the Byzantine rule over the town as a three-nave basilica. It was widened in 1307 by Serbian king Milutin in the same style adding two more aisles on its sides and a narthex with a high bell tower. On its facades stands the long strip with a Serbian inscription done in bricks commemorating the widening. Inside there are two layers of frescoes. Although quite damaged during the long centuries of Ottoman rule there are still around 650 square meters of paintings preserved. IAmongst them the most interesting ones are portrays of Nemanjich kings, a portray of the endower King Milutin and the representations of Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the dynasty and his sons Stefan the Firstcrowned and St Sava. In the pogrom against the remaining Serbs in March 2004 the Albanian mob desecrated the church, set it aflame and destroyed many of the frescoes.

In Prizren there are many more medieval Serb orthodox churches such as St Savior (14th c.) underneath the Kaljaja fort, St George (15th c.) or St Nicholas (1331). All of these were heavily damaged in March of 2004.