Skanderbeg Square ( sq, Sheshi "Skënderbeu") is a square in

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

Location and history

Following the end of the

Kosovo conflict The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...

in 1999 and no longer under Serbian rule,

Kosovo Albanians The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-gr ...

in 2001 erected a monument within the centre of Pristina to

Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

, a medieval

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

who fought against Ottoman forces. Over a journey of four days the statue was brought from

Krujë Krujë ( sq-definite, Kruja; see also the etymology section) is a town and a municipality in north central Albania. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km north from the capital of Albania, Tirana. Kruj ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

to the middle of Pristina. The Skanderbeg statue of Pristina shares a similar socialist aesthetic and equestrian posture with minor differences in detail to existing Skanderbeg monuments in

Tiranë Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

and other places in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Skanderbeg is depicted on a horse with its right leg up in a menacing pose and his sword is outside of its sheath and pointed toward the ground. A war memorial dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo war is present in Skanderbeg square along with a series of photographs depicting the missing from the conflict. Skanderbeg Square is bordered on one side by Rugova Square, a space named after the first Kosovo President

Ibrahim Rugova Ibrahim Rugova (; 2 December 1944 – 21 January 2006) was a prominent Kosovo Albanian political leader, scholar, and writer, who served as the President of the partially recognised Republic of Kosova, serving from 1992 to 2000 and as President ...

and on the other side by Mother Teresa Boulevard, named after

Saint Teresa of Calcutta Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...

. Along with Tiranë and Skopje, Pristina is one of three Balkan capitals to install a Skanderbeg statue.

Gallery

File:Skanderbeg Square (Pristina) 1.jpg, Bilingual sign designating Skanderbeg Square File:Skanderbeg Monument (Pristina) 2.jpg, Skanderbeg statue File:Skanderbeg Square (Pristina) 11.jpg, Skanderbeg Square File:Skanderbeg Statue And Kosovo Army.JPG, Parade by

Kosovo Security Force , image = KSF logo.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem , image2 = Flag of the Kosovo Security Force.svg , alt2 = , caption2 = Flag , motto = , founded ...

in square File:Skanderbeg Square (Pristina) 2.jpg, War memorial dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo war File:Skanderbeg Square (Pristina) 9.jpg, Banner with photographs depicting the missing from the conflict File:Skanderbeg Square (Pristina) 8.jpg, Banner and flags honouring the

Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the ...

File:Skanderbeg Square (Pristina) 10.jpg, Banner with photographs depicting the missing from the conflict File:Skanderbeg Square (Pristina) 7.jpg, Poster of Skanderbeg in square File:Skanderbeg Monument (Pristina) 5.jpg, Pedestal plaque of the Skanderbeg statue File:Ne Udhetim 132.jpg, Skanderbeg statue on old pedestal (2000s) File:Gjergj Skanderbeg statue in Prishtinë, Kosovo - 1.jpg, Skanderbeg statue on new pedestal (2010s)

References

External links

* {{Pristina Geography of Pristina Tourist attractions in Pristina Squares in Kosovo

Location and history

Gallery

See also

References

External links