43 Facts About Pristina

1.

The largest city by area and population of Kosovo, Pristina is predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians and constitutes the second-largest ethnic Albanian-inhabited capital after Tirana, Albania.

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2.

The first mosque in Pristina was built in the late 14th century while under Serbian rule.

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3.

Pristina is the capital and the economic, financial, political and trade center of Kosovo, due to its location in the center of the country.

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4.

Pristina is the most important transportation junction of Kosovo for air, rail, and roads.

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5.

The toponym Pristina appears as the name of a hamlet near Teslic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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6.

At the turn of the 15th century during the time of the Serbian Despotate, Pristina was a major trading post for silver, with many traders hailing from the Republic of Ragusa.

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7.

Pristina was famous for its annual trade fairs and its goat hide and goat hair articles.

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8.

In late October 1918, the 11th French colonial division took over Pristina and returned Pristina back to what then became the 'First Yugoslavia' on the 1st of December 1918.

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9.

From 1929 to 1941, Pristina was part of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

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10.

In 1966, Pristina had few paved roads, the old town houses had running water and cholera was still a problem.

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11.

The LDK's role meant, that when the Kosovo Liberation Army began to attack Serbian and Yugoslav forces from 1996 onwards, Pristina remained largely calm until the outbreak of the Kosovo War in March 1999.

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12.

Pristina was spared large scale destruction compared to towns like Gjakova or Peja that suffered heavily at the hands of Serbian forces.

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13.

Several strategic targets in Pristina were attacked by NATO during the war, but serious physical damage appears to have largely been restricted to a few specific neighbourhoods shelled by Yugoslav security forces.

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14.

Pristina is situated on a alluvial plain in the regions of Llap and Kosovo across the Gollak Hills in central and eastern Kosovo.

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15.

Bodies of water in Pristina Municipality include the lakes of Badovc and Batllava as well as the rivers of Llap, Prishtevka and Vellusha.

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16.

The park of Germia lies in the east of Pristina and extends in the north of the villages of Llukar and Kolovica to the south at Badovac.

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17.

Pristina is one of the urban areas with the most severe water shortages in Kosovo.

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18.

Pristina is the capital city of Kosovo and plays an instrumental role in shaping the political and economic life of the country.

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19.

Pristina is home to Kosovo's Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and Appeal Court as well as the Basic Court of Pristina.

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20.

The Pristina Municipal Council is the legislative arm of the municipality and is a democratically elected institution, comprising 51 councillors since the latest municipal election.

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21.

Pristina is a founding member of the Union of Albanian Municipalities in the Region.

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22.

Pristina is the primary tourist destination in Kosovo as well as the main air gateway to the country.

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23.

Pristina has played a very important role during the World War II, being a shelter for Jews, whose cemeteries now can be visited.

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24.

Pristina is the most important and frequent road junction of Kosovo as all of the major expressways and motorways passes through the city limits.

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25.

Immediately after completion, Pristina will provide direct access to Skopje through the R6 motorway.

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26.

International airport of Pristina serves as the premier gateway to the country and carries almost 2 million passengers per year with connections to many destinations around different countries and cities of Europe with the most frequent routes to Austria, Germany, Switzerland as well as to Slovenia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

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27.

Pristina is the transport hub of road, rail and air in Kosovo.

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28.

Pristina is serviced by a train that travels through Pristina to Skopje daily.

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29.

Pristina is the center of education in the country and home to many public and private primary and secondary schools, colleges, academies and universities, located in different areas across the city.

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30.

The University of Pristina is the largest and oldest university of the city and was established in the 20th century.

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31.

Media in Pristina include some of the most important newspapers, largest publishing houses and most prolific television studios of Kosovo.

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32.

Pristina is the largest communications center of media in Kosovo.

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33.

The television industry developed in Pristina and is a significant employer in the city's economy.

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34.

Pristina has centres of worship for a multitude of faiths for its population.

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35.

The Cathedral of Pristina is perhaps the largest cathedral in Kosovo and is named in honour of the Albanian Roman Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa.

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36.

Pristina is home to the largest cultural institutions of the country, such as the National Theatre of Kosovo, National Archaeology, Ethnography and Natural science Museum, National Art Gallery and the Ethnological Museum.

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37.

In Pristina there is "Hamami i Qytetit" and the house of Emin Gjika which has been transformed to the Ethnographic Museum.

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38.

Pristina has its municipal archive which was established in the 1950s and holds all the records of the city, municipality and the region.

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39.

Festivals and events are one of some things that people in Pristina enjoy properly, without rushing to get it over with.

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40.

One of major festivals include the Chopin Piano Fest Pristina that was established for the first time on the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary of Frederic Chopin in 2010 by the Kosovo Chopin Association.

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41.

DAM Festival Pristina is one of the most prominent cultural events taking place in the capital.

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42.

Pristina had always a development in trading due to its position of the Balkan trade routes.

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43.

Pristina is the center of sport in Kosovo, where activity is organized across amateur and professional levels, sport organizations and clubs, regulated by the Kosovo Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

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