Where is Kosovo?

Kosovo is a young country who proclaim its indipendence on 17th February 2008. It has a surface area of 10.908km2. Kosovo is bordered by Albania to the west, Montenegro to the Northwest, Central Serbia to the North and East and Macedonia to the South. This is a landlocked region, the biggest city is the capital Prishtina and there are other four main cities Peja/Pec, Prizren, Gjakova/Dacovica, Mitrovica/Kosovska Mitrovica. The territory of Kosovo is mountainous. Its mountains reach the height of 2000m and the highest peak is Gjeravica which is 2.656m. The capital is placed at 600m above the see level. Many rivers pass through Kosovo which make this region rich in term of water and there are five lakes over 2.5Km2. The population is estimate in 1.9 million with about 500.000 living in the capital region. There are many diverse communities living in Kosovo which make of this a very multicultural society. The largest community is by far the albanian one estimated almost 90% of Kosovo population. About 130.000 Serbs are living on this territory after 1999 and most of them live in rural communities. They represent the 6% of the population whereas the 5% remain are divide between Ashkali, Roma, Egyptians, Bosniaks, Gorani, Croats and Turks. About 90% of its citizen are Muslim, 6% are Serb Orthodox and 3% is Catholic.

Form of government

Republic of Kosovo is a parlamentary representative democracy. The Prime Minister exercises the executive power whilst the judiciary is independent. The President of the Republic of Kosovo is the head of state. He is elected by the assembly and stay in charge for 5 years. The government has to include two or three ministers from the minorities dipending on its size. In the kosovar parlament there is just one chamber and it is composed by 120 members, 100 of them directly elected by the people for four years. 20 seats in the Parliament are reserved for politician representing minorities of the country. Parliment approved a new constitution on June 15th 2008. In it, a particular attention is given to minority groups present on Kosovo’s territory in order to assure them rights garanteeing at the same time a safer environment for kosovar citizanship too.

Nature

Rugova Valley is a remote and wild mountain destination placed in the heart of Dukagjini in northwestern Kosovo. Its extencion covers an area of 32.000ha and it guests 13 mountain villages populate by lovers of the mountain proud of their ancient origin. Its highest peak reaches 2560m with the Acoursed mountain. The valley is cross for 12km by the Bistrica river which is loved by families from the close city of Peje who are glad to spend on its bank some warm summer week ends. Numerous are the natural elements which make this valley such a beautyful place. We must point out waterfalls up to 30 meters height, two lakes at about 1800m above sea level in a wonderful and green location and many caves for fans. Nowadays, the region remains well preserved and little explored offering great opportunities of diversion for lovers of eco and rural tourism. Its territory allows a total immersion in smells and tastes of the nature not modify by mass tourism fluxes. Possibilities to make sports are huge during the whole year thank to trekking and hiking paths, to the dog up streets perfect for bicycle routes and to the rock walls welcome by climber. Mountain inhabitants are farmer, shepherd and logger and these are their main income sources. Discover the goodness of local products and the true kindness of those brave people who, loving their land, are trying to develop tourism in its more sustainible way in this young and facinating country.

Culture

Peja/Pec, as the second largest city of the country by size of population and as a very interesting cultural place, really deserves a visit while you are travelling around Kosovo. According to some, the western part of Kosovo represents the “true Kosovo” that’s why we reccomend a day trip. Peja/Pec is famous all around Balkans for being the seat of the Serb Orthodox Patriarchate and it is seen as the spiritual seat of the Serbian nation. The decision to build here such an important meeting house was taken after the distruction accomplished by Bulgarian raiders in 1253 of the original seat of the Archibishop located in inner Serbia. Peja/Pec looked like a safer place for it because it rises at the feet of the Rugova Gorge in a panoramic place. This is maybe the most interesting spot to visit in the region but not the only one. There are still some signs of the Ottoman-era that can captivate your interest. You will find them walking in the market which is kept every Saturday and where you can purchase everything you need, from clothes to cheese and vegetables. Other Ottoman marks are visible in some houses and Kullas(fortified tower) too. City of Peja/Pec is easily reachable by bus from all Kosovo’s major towns. Every twenty minutes there is a bus who linked Peja/Pec with Pristina and viceversa. The service starts at 7.30 till 18.30. To get to Peja/Pec from Prizren there are 6 buses per days which stop off in Gjakova. During the summer many buses are headed for Montenegrin and Albanian coasts: ask in the bus station for a bus timetable to spend a week-end on the sun. If you prefer, you can rent a car for an affordable price (around 35 euro per day) to move around Kosovo during your stay. The capital Pristina is 90 kilometers away and it takes about two hours driving along an uneven street. Infrastructure are always developing here in Kosovo and as consequence the conditions of the streets is constantly changing. Peja/Pec is not a very big city and you can arrive everywhere, including Patriarchate within a pleasant walk. For your stay in Peja/Pec you will find a vast offer of accomodation that will fit your needs. Some hotels, from very well equiped with all modern amenities to cheaper ones, have opened in the previous years. Otherwise, if you are looking for something more original it’s possible to sleep in a resorted kullas in the Decan region or in a mountain-resort hotel in the Rugova Valley. Restauration is valuable in Peja/Pec with a number of restaurants offering very different types of food for good prices. Try traditional dishes from the Rugova area, a good burek or italian kitchen well developed here thanks to Italian KFOR presents here since 1999, in one of the many restaurants along the main square and close to the police headquarters.

Safety

Kosovo is a safe place compare to other western country where violent crime rates are higher. International people fell confortable in Kosovar streets above all women, this is the impression walking on the street. However, it is always good to take care of your belongings. Kosovo police is a new institution and they have been well formed after the war. Policemen often speak english and they are usually helpful, friendly and not corrupted.

Health care system

There are a lot of pharmacies all over Kosovo and in some of them you can purchase western brands. Prescription is not needed and you can get all sorts of medicinal. Be careful with self-diagnosis, speak to your doctor by telephone or make an internet research before taking a new strong medicine. Kosovar hospitals are equipped with an emergency center and with a local health center for routine problems just be ready to wait a little bit and don’t expect too much. Not everybody speak english in the hospital so if you can, bring an interpreter with you. Military camps have internal hospitals but it is not so easy to be accepted because of their restrictions. Beside local hospital, private clinics offer another solution. They are usually managed by competent hospital doctors offering higher standard for a good price. Level of dentists is high in Kosovo and don’t expect to pay too much for an examination. A number of vaccinations are advised before coming to Kosovo depending on what will be your activity in this country. Have a look at your Foreign ministry website to have more information about this issue.

Language

According to the draft constitution of Kosovo there are two official languages: standard Albanian and Serbian. In the Prizren area another official language is Turkish. Gheg dilect, one of the two dilects spoken in Albania, is daily used among Kosovar people. Young people are now studying foreing languages at school in order to have more opportunities in the future. Some of them are fluent in english and german is another language learnt at school. In shops, bars, hotels and restaurant you won’t have big problem to comunicate in english.

Weather

Summers are hot and winter are pretty cold in Kosovo. In January the temperature can get down up to -15C while in July it can reach 35C even if the average temperatures are milder. There is not a big difference in term of temperature in different Kosovo areas. During the long winter, it usually snows and rains a lot and that can cause problems on the streets not well designed.

Currency

Kosovo currency is the euro and serbian dinar can be used in Serbian communities. Nowadays, there are many cashmachines all over Kosovo where all main international cards can be used. However, Kosovo society is still cash-based and you could have problem to pay restaurant or even a hotel room by card.