Castles to visit Southern Kosovo

Located at 510 m above sea level, this fortress of Byzantine origin (Kalaja e Prizrenit, Prizrenski Grad) has been the subject of an unfortunate reconstruction of a rough "medieval" style during the years 2012-2016. Nevertheless, it offers a beautiful view of the city and Mount Paštrik (1,986 m above sea level) located on the border between Kosovo and Albania. It is here that the settlement of Prizren began, around 2000 BC. By its strategic position to control the passage between the Adriatic and the Danube, the hill was powerfully fortified by the Byzantines under the reign of Justinian in the 6th century. It passed to the Nemamjić dynasty around 1220 and became the first capital of the short-lived but powerful Serbian Empire (1346-1371), before Stefan Dušan established his court in the fortress of Skopje (Northern Macedonia). Conquered by the Ottomans in 1455 (or 1459), the fortress was remodeled to accommodate a garrison with two compounds and a mosque (1808). Occasionally occupied, it served for a long time as a gathering place for the Serbs of the region who organized here the kolo, the traditional circle dance of the Slavs of the Balkans. The fortress was abandoned after the First Balkan War (1912-1913), but its tunnels served for a long time as water reservoirs for the city. The municipality plans to install an archaeological museum there. In the meantime, one can walk around the ramparts, discover some of the underground tunnels and ruins or simply contemplate the view.