Four reasons to visit Prizren
Story and Photos by Ardian Nrecaj, Public Affairs Specialist
Just an hour and a half west of Camp Bondsteel is the town of Prizren. With many different festivals throughout the year, the rich
history and heritage make it the cultural capital of Kosovo. The main landmarks in Prizren are the 16th century bridge over the
Lumbardh/Bistrica River and the ruins of an 11th century castle. Even though in ruins, on top of a hill with a beautiful overlook to the
city, it reflects strength.
“Apart from many historical sites, it is worth visiting monuments that make Prizren distinctive and combine different cultures,” said
Nora Arapi, a Prizren native and architect by profession. Arapi points to four main historical objects that anybody visiting must see.
1. Sinan Pasha Mosque. Built in 1615, its architecture demonstrates compactness,
gracefulness and elegance. It represents a rarity in Islamic art thanks to its position,
elegance, massive properties and the graceful minaret. The enormous dome is
fitted harmoniously into the square mass of the building, dominating over the
surrounding part of the town.
The mosque stands on a high level overlooking the main street in the historical part
of Prizren. 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. The
mosque still preserves its original stone flooring and interior decoration as well as the
podium and the carpentry works. It is one of the most attractive monuments in
Prizren.
2. Gazi Mehmet Pasha Hamam (Turkish bathhouse). The Hamam of Prizren is an
early Ottoman-era monument in which oriental and local traditions combine. The
bath was founded in 1573.
Sinan Pasha Mosque was built in
1615, it stands on a high level
overlooking the main street in Prizren.
It is unusual that this is a double bath, one half for men and the other one for
women, separated with a special entrance for each. It has the same internal
different spaces: area for undressing, warm area, and heated area with different
small washing rooms. The heated area has vaults and small domes covered by lead
sheets while the undressing area has domes covered by tiles. The building is
constructed from rubble stones and lime.
Presently, galleries of Turkish Bath of Gazi Mehmet Pasha are mainly used for
figurative and photo exhibitions, literary promotion meetings, chamber music
concerts, etc.
3. Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljeviska. Just west of the city center, the Mother of
God Ljeviska Cathedral is one of the most important churches to have survived in
the entire region, and one of the finest examples of late Byzantine architecture. The
Ljeviska Church dates back to the 9th-11th centuries. The original construction was
a three-aisled basilica. In 1306, it was remodeled by King Milutin of Serbia when a
cross-in-square design was incorporated into the central nave of the old basilica.
The Turkish Bathhouse locally known
as the hamam of Prizren was built in
1573.
Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljeviska
dates back to 9th – 11th centuries.
The church’s most famous feature is its’ decorative wall paintings, which include
scenes such as the Wedding at Canaa, Healing of the Blind and Holy Mother of
God with Christ the Guardian. Some of the paintings were damaged during riots in
2004 and since 2006, the Ljeviska Church is on the UNESCO world heritage list.
During the Ottoman rule the church was turned into a mosque and a minaret was
placed on top of the tower, but after the departure of the Ottomans in 1912 it was
reversed and the minaret was removed in 1923.
4. Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This Roman-Catholic church is situated
on the west side of the city center, about a five minute walk from Shadërvan
Square. It was built around 1870-1875 in the time of Archbishop of Skopje, Dario
Bucciarelli. The bell tower with the clock was added later in the 20th century.
According to the roof with a cross-arched ceiling, façade [rosette and niches] and
arched openings, this church belongs to a Neo-Romanesque style. The cold stone
exterior of the building is a contrast to its colorful interior of marble and paintings.
The portraits of Gjergj Kastrioti “Skënderbeu” [an Albanian national hero] and John
Hunyadi [Hungarian commander] at the northwest side of the church are of a
national significance. The church is a part of a greater ensemble composed from
Neo-classical facilities built during the 20th century.
THE BONDSTEEL BULLET ? Page 3