MUSEUM OF THE PRIZREN LEAGUE

This museum, founded in 1977 (Kompleksi i Lidhjes së Prizrenit, Kompleks Prizrenske lige), is dedicated to the first Albanian nationalist movement, the League of Prizren (1878-1881). It is housed in two Ottoman-style buildings that belonged to the Gazi-Mehmed-Pasha mosque complex (16th century). The buildings have been remodelled several times and were even moved in 1963 to create the road along the river. But above all, they are among the few monuments in the city centre burnt down by Yugoslav forces in March 1999. Rebuilt in June 2000, this museum is one of the most popular sites for Albanian Kosovars. Unfortunately, the visit can be disappointing: lack of explanations, mixture of originals and copies, partisan presentation. The smallest of the buildings is the house that housed the leader of the league, Abdyl Frashëri (1839-1892). There are weapons and documents of the period, and a recent map of "Greater Albania". The second building is the former Koranic school where the first assembly of the league took place on 10 June 1878. Traditional costumes are on display (ground floor) and photographs and works of art (upper floor). Note the two bronzes from the 1970s by the great Kosovar sculptor Agim Çavdarbasha (1944-1999) representing the two founders of the league, the Albanian deputy Abdyl Frashëri and the wealthy Prizren landowner Ymer Prizreni (1826-1887). The two busts were found in the river at the end of 1999.