Skanderbeg Square () is a square 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 ...

Location and history

Following the end of the

Kosovo conflict The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

in 1999 and no longer under Serbian rule,

Kosovo Albanians The Albanians of Kosovo (, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars (), constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the Albanians, ethnic Albanian sub-group of Ghegs, who inhabit the ...

in 2001 erected a monument within the centre of Pristina to

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

, 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 20 km north of the capital of Albania, Tirana. Krujë was ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

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 ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

and other places in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. 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 Kosovo Albanians, Kosovo-Albanian politician, 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. 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 The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is the military of Kosovo. The KSF is tasked with defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo, military support for civilian authorities, and participation in international Peacekeeping, peacekee ...

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 Albanians, ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Republic of Serbia (1992–2006), Republic of R ...

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