Welcome to Pristina!
Prishtina (Albanian: Prishtinë, Serbian: Priština), the capital city of Kosovo, is not conventionally beautiful on sight: It is messy, with centuries-old Ottoman heritage competing with communist designs and post-communist architectural monstrosities. However, there is a powerful draw to this city, offering much to passing visitors.
Pristina is the capital of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and district. It is the second-largest Albanian-inhabited city in Europe, after Tirana.During the Paleolithic Age, what is now the area of Pristina was involved by the Vinča culture. In classical times it was home to several Illyrian peoples and Romans. King Bardyllis brought various tribes together in the area of Pristina in the 4th century BC, establishing the Dardanian Kingdom. The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient city of Ulpiana, which was considered one of the most important Roman cities in the Balkan Peninsula. Between the 5th and the 9th century the area was part of the Byzantine Empire. In the middle of the 9th century it was ceded to the First Bulgarian Empire. In the early 11th century it fell under Byzantine rule again and was included in a new province called Bulgaria. Between the late 11th and middle of the 13th century it was ceded several times to the Second Bulgarian Empire.
In the late Middle Ages, Pristina was an important town in Medieval Serbia and also the royal estate of Stefan Milutin, Stefan Uroš III, Stefan Dušan, Stefan Uroš V and Vuk Branković. Following the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans, Pristina became an important mining and trading center due to its strategic position near the rich mining town of Novo Brdo. The city was known for its trade fairs and items, such as goatskin and goat hair as well as gunpowder. The first mosque in Pristina was built in the late 14th century while under Serbian rule.Pristina is the most important transportation junction of Kosovo, for air, rail, and roads. The city's international airport is the largest airport of the country and among the largest in the region. A range of expressways and motorways, such as the R 6 and R 7, radiate out the city and connect it to Albania and North Macedonia.
Pristina is the capital as well as the most essential economic, financial, political and trade center of Kosovo mostly due to its significant location in the center of the country. It is the seat of power of the Government of Kosovo, the residences for work of the president and prime minister of Kosovo, and the Parliament of Kosovo.