OBILIQ (OBILIĆ)
The small town of Obiliq or Obilić/Обилић (pronounced "obilich" in both languages) is hard to miss on the outskirts of Pristina. With a population of about 6,800 (almost all Albanians), it is dominated by a grey cloud emanating from Europe's two most polluting power plants. The city has a glorious past, however, as it was here that the battle of Kosovo Polje took place in 1389. It owes its name to the Serbian-Montenegrin lord Miloš Obilić, who is supposed to have killed Sultan Murad I during the confrontation. A very unsuccessful equestrian statue pays tribute to the hero, here considered Albanian. The same town is also officially called Kastriot, after George Kastriot (1405-1468), better known as Skanderbeg. The leader of the anti-Ottoman revolt in Albania was to take part here in the other battle of Kosovo Polje, which on 17-20 October 1448 pitted a coalition of Hungarian and Romanian forces against the army of Sultan Murad II. Attacked on the way by a Serbian prince allied to the Ottomans, Skanderbeg could not reach his destination and Murad II won. As for Obiliq's two current celebrities, the "Kosovo A" and "Kosovo B" power stations, they date from 1960. Operating on coal, they provide 90% of the country's electricity needs and contribute to making Pristina the most polluted capital in Europe. They were supposed to close in 2017. But they are now equipped with filters to make their emissions less dangerous.
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