Palace of Youth and Sports (; ), formerly named Boro and Ramiz (; ), is a multi-purpose hall located in
Pristina
Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district.
In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
,
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
. It includes two
indoor arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
s, the larger of which had a capacity of 8,000 spectators but is currently out of use, and the smaller in-use with a capacity of 2,800 spectators. It also includes a
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
,
indoor parking, two
convention hall
Convention Hall was a convention center in Kansas City, Missouri that hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and 1928 Republican National Convention. Construction, burning, and reconstruction
It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and b ...
s and a
library
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
. The building in its entirety measures over .
History
In 1975, a referendum was held, and citizens of
Pristina
Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district.
In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
, then capital of the
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
The Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo, Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Косово, separator=" / "; ; . Also abbreviated as SAP Kosovo. referre ...
, voted in favor of building a large hall.
The complex was finished in 1977. It was originally named "Boro and Ramiz", after
Boro Vukmirović and
Ramiz Sadiku
Ramiz Sadiku ( ; ; 19 January 1915 – 10 April 1943) was an Albanian law student and one of the organizers of the anti-fascist uprising in Kosovo.''Narodni heroji Jugoslavije''. Belgrade: Mladost, 1975
He was posthumously awarded the Order of th ...
, two
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Yugoslav Partisan
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
s and
People's heroes of Yugoslavia. Vukmirović was a
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
, while Sadiku was an
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 ...
, therefore named so to symbolize
brotherhood and unity
Brotherhood and unity was a popular slogan of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia that was coined during the Yugoslav People's Liberation War (1941–45), and which evolved into a guiding principle of Yugoslavia's post-war inter-ethnic policy. ...
between Serbs and Albanians.
The building was heavily damaged in a fire on 25 February 2000. It was partially renovated, but the larger arena and the convention hall are still out of use.
[ In January 2014, interior renovations totaling 115,000 euros were completed. Further renovations worth 200,000 euros were carried out in 2023 in the smaller arena, in order to bring the floors, baskets and chairs up to ]FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
standards. The larger arena is expected to be renovated in time for hosting the 2030 Mediterranean Games
The 2030 Mediterranean Games (; ), officially known as the XXI Mediterranean Games, is a forthcoming international multi-sport event that is scheduled to be held from 24 July to 4 August 2030 in Pristina, Kosovo.
Bidding process
The Internat ...
.
The ownership of the building is disputed between the Municipality of Pristina and the Kosovo Privatization Agency.[
The Palace of Youth and Sports is expected to be a venue for the ]2030 Mediterranean Games
The 2030 Mediterranean Games (; ), officially known as the XXI Mediterranean Games, is a forthcoming international multi-sport event that is scheduled to be held from 24 July to 4 August 2030 in Pristina, Kosovo.
Bidding process
The Internat ...
which is to be hosted by Kosovo.
Building
The smaller arena is mostly used for basketball by KB Prishtina
Klubi i Basketbollit Prishtina ( English: ''Basketball Club Prishtina''), officially known as Sigal Prishtina due to sponsorship reasons, is a Kosovar professional basketball club based in Pristina.
The team currently competes in the Kosovo Sup ...
. In April 2014, it hosted the Final Four of the Balkan Basketball League. The arena is also used for futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
, handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
, athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
, basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, numerous other sporting competitions, various concerts, exhibitions, fairs, conventions, and congresses.
The larger arena is currently out of use due to a fire in 2000 and is now used as an indoor car park. Commentators and fans have called for the "Greater Coliseum" to be renovated and used for KB Pristina's home games.
The shopping center has a series of services such as a joint parking lot, 6D cinema, wellness center, numerous restaurants, cafes, and stores.
The Newborn monument
The Newborn Monument (NEWBORN) is a typographic sculpture and tourist attraction in Pristina, Kosovo. Located in front of the Palace of Youth and Sports, the monument was unveiled on 17 February 2008, the day that Kosovo formally 2008 Kosovo decl ...
is located in front of the building.
The Prishtina Observatory is located in the building complex.
See also
* List of indoor arenas in Kosovo
References
External links
*
*
{{Pristina
Buildings and structures in Pristina
Sports venues in Kosovo
Indoor arenas in Kosovo
Basketball venues in Kosovo
Buildings and structures completed in 1977