Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext) | '{{Short description|Capital of Kosovo}}
{{About|the city in Kosovo|other uses|Pristina (disambiguation)}}
{{Pp|small=yes}}
{{Update|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Pristina
| native_name =
| settlement_type = [[Capital city]] and [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 290
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2
| image1 = Prishtina seen from Mother Theresa Cathedral.jpg
| image2 = Goddess on throne.JPG
| image3 = Gebäude der UNMIK NEW BORN SIGN PRISTINA KOSOVO Giv Owned Image 23 August 2008.jpg
| image4 = Muzeu_i_Kosovës.JPG
| image5 = 2011 Prisztina, Wieża zegarowa.JPG
| image6 = Prishtina and the great Hamam.jpg
| image7 = Lulzim Makolli Skenderbeu VS Qeveria 2.jpg}}
| image_caption = '''From top, left to right''': view of Pristina; [[Goddess on the Throne]]; [[Newborn monument|Newborn Monument]]; [[Kosovo Museum]]; [[Clock Tower of Pristina|Clock Tower]]; [[Great Hamam of Pristina|Great Hamam]] and [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Imperial Mosque]]; and [[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Monument]]
| image_alt = View of Pristina
| image_flag = [[File:Prishtina-flag.svg|135px]]
| flag_alt = Flag of Pristina
| image_seal = [[File:Prishtina-seal.svg|60px]]
| seal_alt = Seal of Pristina
| pushpin_map = #Kosovo#Europe
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Pristina in Kosovo and Europe
| pushpin_mapsize = 290
| pushpin_relief = 1
| coordinates = {{Coord|42|39|48|N|21|9|44|E|type:adm1st_region:XK|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name =
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[Kosovo]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Municipalities of Kosovo|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name2 = Pristina
| established_title =
| established_date =
| government_type = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| leader_party = [[Democratic League of Kosovo|LDK]]
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = [[Përparim Rama]]
| leader_title1 = Council
| leader_name1 = Pristina Municipal Council
| unit_pref = Metric
| elevation_m = 652
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_blank1_title = Ethnicity
| population_blank1 = {{ubl|97.77% [[Albanians|Albanian]]|1.1% [[Demographics of Kosovo|Other]]}}
| population_urban = 161,751
| population_rural = 37,146
| population_demonym = [[Albanian language|Albanian]]: ''Prishtinas (m)'' <br> ''Prishtinase (f)'' <br /> [[Gheg Albanian|Gheg dialect]]: ''Prishtinali (m)'' <br> ''Prishtinalike (f)''
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = [[Postal codes in Kosovo|Postal code]]
| postal_code = 10000
| area_code_type = Area code
| area_code = +383 (0) 38
| blank1_name = Motorways
| blank1_info = [[File:R6-Kosovo.svg|28px|link=R 6 (Kosovo)]] [[File:R7-Kosovo.svg|28px|link=R 7 (Kosovo)]]
| blank2_name = Major airport
| blank2_info = [[Pristina International Airport|Adem Jashari Airport]]
| website = {{URL|https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/|kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/}}
| registration_plate = [[Vehicle registration plates of Kosovo|01]]
| population_rank = [[List of cities and towns in Kosovo|1st in Kosovo]]
| area_rank = [[Municipalities of Kosovo#List_of_municipalities|6th in Kosovo]]
| total_type = Municipality
| area_total_km2 = 523.13
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Prime Minister of Kosovo|Prime Minister Office of Kosovo]] |title=Komisioni për majten e territorit të Republikës së Kosovës |url=https://kryeministri-ks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Raport_Faktografik_Matja_e_territorit_te_Republikes_se_Kosoves_032017.pdf |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922113615/https://kryeministri-ks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Raport_Faktografik_Matja_e_territorit_te_Republikes_se_Kosoves_032017.pdf |archive-date=22 September 2020 |page=52 |language=sq |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_total = 198897
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2011">{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] |title=Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave në Kosovë 2011 – Rezultatet Përfundimtare: Të Dhënat Demografike sipas Komunave |url=http://ask.rks-gov.net/rekos2011/repository/docs/Te_dhenat_kryesore_demografike_sipas_komunave.pdf |access-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081103/http://ask.rks-gov.net/rekos2011/repository/docs/Te%20dhenat%20kryesore%20demografike%20sipas%20komunave.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |page=14 |language=sq |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
}}
'''Pristina''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|p|r|iː|ʃ|t|ɪ|n|ə|,_|p|r|ɪ|ʃ|ˈ|t|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|PREE|shtin|ə|,_|prish|TEE|nə}},<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Pristina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424172807/https://www.lexico.com/definition/pristina |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-24 |title=Pristina |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |work=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |title=Pristina |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pristina |access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|p|r|ɪ|ʃ|t|ɪ|n|ə}} {{respell|PRISHT|in|ə}})<ref>{{cite American Heritage Dictionary|Pristina|access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref>{{efn|name=fn1|{{lang-sq|Prishtinë}}, {{IPA-sq|pɾiʃˈtinə|pron}}, [[Definiteness|definite]] [[Albanian morphology#Nouns (declension)|form]]: ''Prishtina'', {{IPA-sq|pɾiʃˈtina|pron|Prishtina.ogg}}; {{lang-sr|Приштина|Priština}}, {{IPA-sh|prǐʃtina|pron}}.<ref name="Define Pristina">{{cite web |publisher=[[Dictionary.com]] |title=Define{{spaced ndash}}Pristina |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pristina |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311073459/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pristina |archive-date=11 March 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} is the capital and largest city of [[Kosovo]]. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and [[District of Pristina|district]].<ref name="Define Pristina"/>
In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the [[Dardanian Kingdom]]. The heritage of the classical era is represented by the settlement of [[Ulpiana]]. After the [[Roman Empire]] was divided into a western and an eastern half, the area remained within the [[Byzantine Empire]] between the 5th and 9th centuries. In the middle of the 9th century, it was ceded to the [[First Bulgarian Empire]], before falling again under Byzantine occupation in the early 11th century and then in the late 11th century to the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]]. The growing [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Kingdom of Serbia]] annexed the area in 13th century and it remained under the [[Serbian Empire]] in the 14th century up to the start of the Ottoman era (1389-1455). The next centuries would be characterized by [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule. During this period, Pristina developed from a village to a major urban center of the region. Following the end of the [[First Balkan War]] in 1914, it became a part of the newly formed [[Kingdom of Serbia]]. In 1948, it was chosen as the capital of the province [[Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo|SAP Kosovo]] under the statehood of [[Yugoslavia]]. Furthermore, Pristina would continue to serve as the capital of Kosovo after its [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|2008 independence]] from Serbia.
Pristina seems to have been a small village before the late 15th century. It is first recorded in 1342 as a village during the reign of [[Stefan Dušan]], and about a century later in 1455 at the beginning of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman era]] it had a small population of 300 households. In the following century, 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 (material)|goatskin]] and goat hair as well as gunpowder.<ref name=Warrander>{{cite book|last=Warrander|first=Gail|title=Kosovo|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, UK|isbn=978-1-84162-331-3|pages=85–88|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSaH1bKAb8QC|author2=Verena Knaus|year=2010}}</ref> <!--The first mosque in Pristina was built in the late 14th century while under Serbian rule.<ref name="Warrander" />-->
Pristina is the capital and the [[economic]], [[financial]], [[political]] and [[trade]] center of Kosovo, due to its 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 of Kosovo|President]] and [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]], and the [[Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo|Parliament of Kosovo]]. Pristina is also the most important transportation junction of Kosovo for [[Air transport|air]], [[Rail transport|rail]], and [[Road transport|roads]]. [[Pristina 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 (Kosovo)|R 6]] and [[R 7 (Kosovo)|R 7]], radiate out the city and connect it to [[Albania]] and [[North Macedonia]]. Pristina will host the [[2030 Mediterranean Games]].
== Etymology ==
The origin of the name of the city is unknown. [[Eric P. Hamp]] connected the word with an Indo-European derivative ''*pṛ-tu-'' (ford) + ''*stein'' (cognate to English ''stone'') which in [[Proto-Albanian language|Proto-Albanian]], spoken in the region before the reign of Roman Emperor Trajan (1st–2nd century CE) produced ''Pristina''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mehmeti |first1=Col |title=This Time In Linguistics History: Eric Hamp and Albanian Linguistics |url=https://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/time-linguistics-history-eric-hamp-and-albanian-linguistics |publisher=Linguistic Society of America}}</ref> Thus the name in the pre-Slavic migrations era would mean in the local Albanian variety "ford-stone" (compare [[Stanford]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curtis |first1=Matthew |title=Slavic-Albanian Language Contact, Convergence, and Coexistence |page=42 |date=2012 |publisher=Ohio State University |isbn=978-1-2675-8033-7 |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED546136 }}</ref>
Prišt in [[Serbian language|Serbian]] means ''"boil"'' and this may be a reference to the seething waters of the nearby river [[Gračanka]].<ref name="Everett-Heath2000">{{cite book |author=J. Everett-Heath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uK2HDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA373 |title=Place Names of the World - Europe: Historical Context, Meanings and Changes |date=1 August 2000 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |isbn=978-0-230-28673-3 |pages=373–}}</ref> [[Marko Snoj]] proposes the derivation from a [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] form *''Prišьčь'', a possessive adjective from the personal name *''Prišьkъ'',{{Efn|Preserved in the Kajkavian surname Prišek, in the Old Polish personal name Parzyszek, and in the Polish surname Pryszczyk|name=fn3|group=}} and the derivational suffix ''-ina'' 'belonging to X and his kin'. The name is most likely a [[patronymic]] of the personal name *''Prišь''.{{Efn|Preserved as a surname in Sorbian Priš, and Polish Przybysz, a hypocoristic of the Slavic personal name Pribyslavъ|name=Fn4}}<ref>SNOJ, Marko. 2007. Origjina e emrit të vendit Prishtinë. In: BOKSHI, Besim (ed.). ''Studime filologjike shqiptare: konferencë shkencore'', 21–22 nëntor 2007. Prishtinë: Akademia e Shkencave dhe e Arteve e Kosovës, 2008, pp. 277–281.</ref> According to [[Aleksandar Loma]], Snoj's etymology would presuppose a rare and relatively late word formation process.<ref name="loma">{{Citation |last=Loma |first=Aleksandar |title=Топонимија Бањске хрисовуље |journal=Onomatološki Prilozi |page=181 |year=2013 |trans-title=Toponymy of the Banjska Chrysobull |place=Belgrade |publisher=Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts |language=sr |issn=0351-9171 |author-link=Aleksandar Loma}}</ref> According to Loma, the name of the city could be derived from the [[Proto-Slavic]] dialectal word *''pryščina'', meaning "[[Spring (hydrology)|spring (of water)]]".{{Efn|Also attested in the Moravian dialects of Czech, derived from the verb *pryskati, meaning "to splash" or "to spray" (prskati in modern Serbian)}}<ref name="loma" /> The inhabitants of this city, which most of them are Albanians, call themselves ''Prishtinali'' in the local [[Gheg Albanian]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YUdJAAAAYAAJ&q=prishtina+prishtinali |title=The Linguist: Journal of the Institute of Linguists |date=2003 |publisher=The Institute |pages=101 |language=en}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Early development ===
The area of Pristina has been inhabited since the Neolithic era by [[Early European Farmers]] after 7,000 BCE in the Balkans: [[Starčevo culture|Starčevo]] followed by its successors [[Vinča culture|Vinča]], [[Baden culture|Baden]] and lastly Bubanj-Hum.<ref name="Authors 1975, p.43">{{citation |first1=Sh. |last1=Ajdini |first2=Q. |last2=Bytyqi |first3=H. |last3=Bycinca |first4=I. |last4=Dema |first5=S. |last5=Zeqa |first6=As. |last6=Iseni |first7=J. |last7=Mitroviq |display-authors=4 |title=Ferizaj dhe rrethina |location=Beograd |year=1975 |pages=43{{spaced ndash}}45 |ref={{SfnRef|Ajdini et al.|1975}}}}</ref> The earliest recognized references were discovered in [[Gračanica, Kosovo|Gračanica]], [[Matiçan]] and [[Ulpiana]].<ref name="Warrander" />
[[File:ULPIANA foto Arben Llapashtica 2016.jpg|thumb|[[Ulpiana]] was an important political, cultural, and economic center of the Roman province of [[Dardania (Roman province)|Dardania]].|left]]By the early Iron Age, the distinctly [[Dardani]]an local variant of the [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] [[Glasinac-Mati culture]] appears in Kosovo with a particular spread in hilltop settlements. In the area of Pristina, a hilltop settlement appears since the 8th century BCE at an altitude of 685m near the village Teneshdoll, ~16 km to the north of the Pristina city center. Pottery finds suggests that the area may have been in use since the Bronze Age. The settlement seems to have maintained long-distance trade contacts as the finding of a [[skyphos]] vessel from Aegean Greece suggests.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Alaj|first=Premtim|year=2019|title=Les habitats de l'Age du fer sur le territoire de l'actuel Kosovo |publisher=Université de Lyon|url=https://hal.inria.fr/tel-02503916/ |pages=683-690, 111-119 }}</ref>
During the 4th century BC, a [[Dardanian Kingdom]] was established in the region.<ref name="Cambridge">[https://books.google.com/books?id=vx251bK988gC&pg=PA428 ''The Cambridge Ancient History: The fourth century B.C.'' Volume 6 of The Cambridge Ancient History], Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards, {{ISBN|0-521-85073-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-521-85073-5}}, Authors: D. M. Lewis, John Boardman, Editors: D. M. Lewis, John Boardman, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1994 {{ISBN|0-521-23348-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-521-23348-4}}.</ref><ref name="Adams 1997">{{cite book|last=Adams|first=Douglas Q.|title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture|year=1997|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn|isbn= 978-1-884964-98-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC|editor=James P. Mallory}}</ref><ref name="Wilson 2006">{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Nigel Guy|title=Encyclopedia Of Ancient Greece|year=2006|publisher=Taylor & Francis Group|isbn= 978-0-415-97334-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCZsPgAACAAJ}}</ref> Following the [[Illyrian Wars|Roman conquest of Illyria]] in 168 BC, Romans colonized and founded several cities in the region.<ref>Hauptstädte in Südosteuropa: Geschichte, Funktion, nationale Symbolkraft by Harald Heppner, p. 134</ref>
[[Ulpiana]] was an important Roman city on the Balkan Peninsula and in the 2nd century BC it was declared a [[municipium]]. Ulpiana suffered tremendous damage from an earthquake in 518 AD.<ref name="Justiniana">[http://www.mkrs-ks.org/repository/docs/drafti_i_guides_-anglisht_final.pdf Archaeological Guide of Kosovo ] Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Archaeological Institute of Kosovo, Pristina 2012</ref> After the Roman Empire was divided into a western and an eastern half, the area remained within the [[Byzantine Empire]] for the following centuries. Emperor [[Justinian I]] rebuilt the city in great splendor and renamed it "[[Justiniana Secunda]]", although with the arrival of Slavs in the 6th century, the settlement again fell into disrepair.<ref name="Justiniana"/> In the middle of the 9th century, it was ceded to the [[First Bulgarian Empire]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
=== 11th to 16th centuries ===
[[File:Prishtina and the great Hamam.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Imperial Mosque]] was built by orders of Sultan [[Mehmed the Conqueror]] in the 15th century.]]
In the early 11th century, Pristina fell under Byzantine rule and the area was included into a province called [[Theme of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]. Between the late 11th and middle of the 13th century it was ceded several times to the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]].
In 1315, the nearby [[Gračanica monastery]] was founded by King [[Stefan Milutin]]. [[Stefan Dušan]] used a location in the area of Pristina as his court before moving eventually to the vicinity of Skopje as he moved his rule southwards.<ref name="Zarkovic2021">{{cite journal |last1=Bozidar |first1=Zarkovic |title=Mining Marketplaces: Exponents of Urban Development of Medieval Serbia |journal=Collection of Papers of the Faculty of Philosophy |date=2021 |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=71–91|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1010792 |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="Laszlo2012">{{cite journal |last1=Gulyas |first1=Laszlo |last2=Csullog |first2=Gabor |title=Kosovo's Territorial Characteristics from the Roman Empire to the Fall of the Medieval Serbian State |journal=West Bohemian Historical Review |date=2012 |pages=11–26 |url=https://dspace5.zcu.cz/bitstream/11025/11382/1/Gulyas.pdf |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref> The first historical record mentioning Pristina by its name dates back to 1342 when the Byzantine Emperor [[John VI Kantakouzenos]], on visit to Stefan Dušan at his royal court, described Pristina as a 'village'.<ref name="Warrander" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Milic |first1=Danica |last2=Novakovic |first2=Relja |last3=Popovic |first3=Toma |last4=Radevic |first4=Milorad |title=Istorijski Casopis |date=1975 |publisher=Istorijski institut |location=Belgrade | page = 71| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3lwCgAAQBAJ |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref><ref name="Zarkovic2021" /> During the time of the [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Kingdom of Serbia]] in the early 14th century, the main route between the Western Balkans and [[Constantinople]] ran through Pristina.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Milic |first1=Danica |last2=Novakovic |first2=Relja |last3=Popovic |first3=Toma |last4=Radevic |first4=Milorad |title=Istorijski Casopis |date=1975 |publisher=Istorijski institut |location=Belgrade | pages = 45–46| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3lwCgAAQBAJ |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref> Following the [[Battle of Kosovo]], Pristina fell within the realms of the [[Serbian Despotate]] under Prince [[Stefan Lazarević]]. A bitter feud between Lazarević and [[Đurađ Branković]] developed and led to open conflict, with Pristina being the scene of heavy fighting in 1409 and 1410.<ref name="Muhadri">{{cite journal |last1=Muhadri |first1=Bedri |title=The Invasion of Kosovo from the Ottomans in the XIV Century |journal=European Journal of Social Sciences Studies |date=2017 |volume=2 |url=https://oapub.org/soc/index.php/EJSSS/article/view/167 |access-date=23 February 2023}}</ref> At the turn of the 15th century during the time of the Serbian Despotate, Pristina was a major trading post for [[silver]], with many traders hailing from the [[Republic of Ragusa]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Milic |first1=Danica |last2=Novakovic |first2=Relja |last3=Popovic |first3=Toma |last4=Radevic |first4=Milorad |title=Istorijski Casopis |date=1975 |publisher=Istorijski institut |location=Belgrade | page = 66| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3lwCgAAQBAJ |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref>
Between the end of the 14th and the middle of the 15th century, Ottoman rule was gradually imposed in the town. In the course of the 14th and 15th centuries, Pristina began to develop as a mining and trading center thanks to its proximity to the rich mining town of [[Novo Brdo]], and due to its position of the Balkan trade routes. The old town stretching out between the Vellusha and Prishtevka rivers which are both covered over today, became an important crafts and trade center. Pristina was famous for its annual trade fairs (''Panair'')<ref name="Warrander" /> and its goat hide and goat hair articles. Around 50 different crafts were practiced from tanning to leather dying, belt making and silk weaving, as well as crafts related to the military – armorers, smiths, and saddle makers. As early as 1485, Pristina artisans also started producing gunpowder. Trade was thriving and there was a growing colony of Ragusan traders (from modern day [[Dubrovnik]]) providing the link between Pristina's craftsmen and the outside world.<ref name="Warrander" /> In 1455 Pristina had a significant Muslim Albanian population.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Madgearu |first=Alexandru |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/144570965 |title=The wars of the Balkan Peninsula : their medieval origins |date=2008 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |others=Martin Gordon, Alexandru Madgearu |isbn=978-0-8108-5846-6 |edition=[Rev. ed.] |location=Lanham, Md. |oclc=144570965}}</ref> The settlement at the time had about 300 households. About 3/4 were Christian and 1/4 Muslim.<ref name="Egro">{{cite book|last=Egro|first=Dritan|editor=Oliver Jens Schmitt|title=Islam in the Albanian lands (XVth-XVIIth century)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCdYHU9PtiIC&pg=PA31|series=Religion und Kultur Im Albanischsprachigen Südosteuropa|year=2010|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-3631602959|pages=31}}</ref> In the 15th century the toponym ''Arnaut'' was recorded in the town, which indicates an Albanian presence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rexha |first=Iljaz |title=Registration of settlements and Albanian population on Kosovo |publisher=Institute of History “Ali Hadri” |year=2016 |location=Prishtinë |pages=513}}</ref> The 1487 defter recorded 412 Christian and 94 Muslim households in Pristina, which at the time was administratively part of the [[Sanjak of Viçitrina]].
In the early Ottoman era, [[Islam]] was an urban phenomenon and only spread slowly with increasing urbanization. The travel writer [[Evliya Çelebi]], visiting Pristina in the 1660s was impressed with its fine gardens and vineyards.<ref name="Warrander" /> In those years, Pristina was part of the Vıçıtırın Sanjak and its 2,000 families enjoyed the peace and stability of the Ottoman era. Economic life was controlled by the guild system (''esnafs'') with the tanners' and bakers' guild controlling prices, limiting unfair competition and acting as banks for their members. Religious life was dominated by religious charitable organizations often building mosques or fountains and providing charity to the poor.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
=== 17th to 20th centuries ===
[[File:Unity-Brotherhood Monument Prishtina7.jpg|thumb|180px|The Monument of [[Brotherhood and Unity]] by [[Miodrag Živković (sculptor)|Miodrag Živković]] in the city center. "Brotherhood and unity" was a popular slogan of the [[Communist Party of Yugoslavia]].]]
During the [[Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699)|Austro-Turkish War]] in the late 17th century, Pristina citizens under the leadership of the Catholic Albanian priest [[Pjetër Bogdani]] pledged loyalty to the Austrian army and supplied troops. He contributed a force of 6,000 Albanian soldiers to the Austrian army which had arrived in Pristina. According to [[Noel Malcolm|Malcolm]], Prishtina in the 17th century was inhabited by 15,000 Muslims, probably Albanian but possibly including also some Slavs.<ref>Noel Malcolm - [https://books.google.com/books/about/Rebels_Believers_Survivors.html?id=BgrGywEACAAJ&redir_esc=y Rebels, Believers, Survivors: Studies in the History of the Albanians] p. 133-135</ref> Austrian military archives from the years of 1689-90 mention '5,000 Muslim [[Albanians]] in Prishtina who had risen against the Turks'.<ref>Albanian History, Austrian Military Archives - [http://www.albanianhistory.net/1689_Kosovo-Turkish-War/ Kosovo In the Great Turkish War] :
'The reputation of this commander grew more and more because of his orderliness such that 5,000 Arnauts [Muslim Albanians] in Pristina [Prishtina] who had risen against the Turks and [the inhabitants of] many of the major towns in the vicinity had given to understand that they would submit to the rule of the Emperor. Thus, when he arrived in Pristina, they swore allegiance to the Emperor and at that moment, this large tract of territory came under the shadow of the laurels of His Imperial Majesty.'</ref><ref>Noel Malcolm - [https://books.google.com/books/about/Rebels_Believers_Survivors.html?id=BgrGywEACAAJ&redir_esc=y Rebels, Believers, Survivors: Studies in the History of the Albanians] p. 133-135</ref> Under Austrian occupation, [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|The Fatih Mosque]] (''Mbretit Mosque'') was briefly converted to a [[Jesuit]] church.<ref name="Warrander" /> Following the Austrian defeat in January 1690, Pristina's inhabitants were left at the mercy of Ottoman and [[Tatar]] troops who took revenge against the local population as punishment for their co-operation with the Austrians. A French officer traveling to Pristina noted soon afterwards that "Pristina looked impressive from a distance but close up it is a mass of muddy streets and houses made of earth".<ref name="Warrander" />
The year 1874 marked a turning point. That year the railway between [[Salonika]] and [[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]] started operations and the seat of the vilayet of Prizren was relocated to Pristina. This privileged position as capital of the Ottoman vilayet lasted only for a short while. from January until August 1912, Pristina was liberated from Ottoman rule by Albanian rebel forces led by [[Hasan Prishtina]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bogdanović
|first=Dimitrije |author-link=Dimitrije Bogdanović |editor=Antonije Isaković |title=Knjiga o Kosovu |url=http://www.kosovo.net/sk/rastko-kosovo/istorija/knjiga_o_kosovu/index.html |access-date=January 9, 2011
|volume=2 |orig-year=1984 |date=November 2000 |publisher=[[Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts]] |location=Belgrade |language=sr |chapter=Albanski pokreti 1908–1912. |chapter-url=http://www.kosovo.net/sk/rastko-kosovo/istorija/knjiga_o_kosovu/bogdanovic-kosovo_2.html |quote=... ustanici su uspeli da ... ovladaju celim kosovskim vilajetom do polovine avgusta 1912, što znači da su tada imali u svojim rukama Prištinu, Novi Pazar, Sjenicu pa čak i Skoplje ... U srednjoj i južnoj Albaniji ustanici su držali Permet, Leskoviku, Konicu, Elbasan, a u Makedoniji Debar ...}}</ref> However, The [[Kingdom of Serbia]] opposed the plan for a [[Greater Albania]], preferring a partition of the European territory of the [[Ottoman Empire]] among the four [[Balkan League|Balkan allies]].<ref name="report">{{cite web
| url = https://archive.org/stream/reportofinternat00inteuoft#page/46/mode/2up/search/47
| title = Report of the International Commission to Inquire into the Causes and the Conduct of the Balkan Wars
|author=Josef Redlich, Baron d'Estournelles, M. Justin Godart, Walter Shucking, [[Francis W. Hirst]], [[H. N. Brailsford]], Paul Milioukov, Samuel T. Dutton
| year = 1914
| publisher = Carnegie Endowment for International Piece
| location = Washington D.C.
| page = 47
| access-date = January 10, 2011
| quote = This demonstration of Turkish weakness encouraged new allies, the more so that the promises of Albanian autonomy, covering the four vilayets of Macedonia and Old Servia, directly threatened the Christian nationalities with extermination.
}}</ref> On October 22, 1912, Serb forces took Pristina. However, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the first Balkan War, occupied Kosovo in 1915 and took Pristina under Bulgarian occupation.<ref name="E">{{cite book |title= Historical Dictionary of Kosovo |last=Elsie |first=Robert |year=2010 |publisher= Scarecrow Press, Inc. |location= estover road plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0-8108-7231-8 |pages=xxxiv |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg-aeA-nUeAC&q=Prishtina |access-date=2013-05-18}}</ref>
During the [[Massacres of Albanians in the Balkan Wars]], Pristina suffered many atrocities; the Serbian army entered Pristina on 22 October.<ref name="Trix">{{cite book |last1=Trix |first1=Francis |title=Urban Muslim Migrants in Istanbul: Identity and Trauma Among Balkan Immigrants |date=2008 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1786731081 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBOMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |ref=Trix}}</ref> Albanian and Turkish households were looted and destroyed, and women and children were killed.<ref name="Karoubi174">{{cite book|last=Karoubi|first=Mohammad Taghi|title=Just or Unjust War?: International Law and Unilateral Use of Armed Force by States at the Turn of the 20th Century|year=2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781351154666|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_dADwAAQBAJ&q=archbishop+skopje+massacres&pg=PT268|pages=174}}</ref> A Danish journalist based in Skopje reported that the Serbian campaign in Pristina "had taken on the character of a horrific massacring of the Albanian population".<ref name="Trix"/><ref name="Karoubi174"/> An estimated 5,000 people in Pristina were murder in the early days of the Serbian occupation.<ref name="Lieberman60">{{cite book|last=Lieberman|first=Benjamin|title=Terrible Fate: Ethnic Cleansing in the Making of Modern Europe|year=2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781442230385|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXlfAgAAQBAJ&q=balkan+wars+catholic+reports+durham|pages=60}}</ref><ref name="Karoubi174"/><ref name="NY Times">{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/12/31/100385991.pdf|title=Servian Army Left a Trail of Blood; Thousands of Men, Women, and Children Massacred in March to Sea, Say Hungarian Reports.|access-date=6 September 2016}}</ref> The events have been interpreted as an early [[Ethnic cleansing|attempt to change the region's demographics]].<ref name="Trix"/> Serbian settlers were brought into the city, and [[Prime Minister of Serbia|Serbian Prime Minister]] [[Nikola Pašić]] bought {{convert|1214|acre|ha}} of land.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Banac |first1=Ivo |title=The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics |date=1988 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-9493-2 |page=296 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KfqbujXqQBkC&q=slaughter+of+Albanians+1912&pg=PA295 |access-date=2 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Pristinans who wore a ''[[Qeleshe|plis]]'' were targeted by the Serbian army; those who wore the Turkish [[Fez (hat)|fez]] were safe, and the price of a fez rose steeply.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Mislav Horvat|author2= Jusuf Osmani|title=Kolonizimi Serbi Kosoves (The Serbian Colonisation of Kosovo) |date=2010 |publisher=REND Prishtinë |location=Pristina |page=67 |quote=Se në tregun e Prishtinës, më 18 tetor 1912 më një lirë ari të Turqisë mund të bliheshin 82 fesa turq. Më 10 nëntor 1912, po në këtë treg, një fes mund të blihej me 82 lira ari. Ngritja kaq e lartë e çmimit ishte bërë për shkak se ushtria serbe likuidonte të gjithë njerëzit me plisa të bardhë, ndërsa i kursente ata që mbanin fesin turk në krye.|url=https://www.academia.edu/27205754 |access-date=29 March 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Prishtina 1924.jpg|left|thumb|Aerial view of Pristina in 1924]]
In late October 1918, the 11th French colonial division took over Pristina and returned Pristina back to what then became the 'First [[Yugoslavia]]' on the 1st of December 1918.<ref name="E"/> In September 1920, the decree of the colonization of the new southern lands' facilitated the takeover by Serb colonists of large Ottoman estates in Pristina and land seized from Albanians.<ref name="E"/> The interwar period saw the first exodus of Albanian and Turkish speaking population.<ref name="Warrander" /><ref name="E"/> From 1929 to 1941, Pristina was part of the [[Vardar Banovina]] of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]].
On 17 April 1941, Yugoslavia surrendered unconditionally to axis forces. On 29 June, [[Benito Mussolini]] proclaimed a greater Albania, with most of Kosovo under Italian occupation united with Albania. There ensued mass killings of Serbs, in particular colonists, and an exodus of tens of thousands of Serbs.{{sfn|Murray|1999|p=15}}<ref name="books.google.com">Sabrina P. Ramet [https://books.google.com/books?id=FTw3lEqi2-oC&dq=Mithat+Frasheri&pg=PA141 ''The three Yugoslavias: state-building and legitimation''], 1918–2005</ref> After the capitulation of Italy, [[Nazi Germany]] took control of the city. In May 1944, 281 local Jews were arrested by units of the [[21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)|21st ''Waffen'' Mountain Division of the SS ''Skanderbeg'' (1st Albanian)]], which was made up mostly of Muslim Albanians. The Jews were later deported to Germany, where many were killed.<ref>{{cite book| last = Fischer| first = Bernd Jürgen| author-link = Bernd Jürgen Fischer| year = 1999| title = Albania at War, 1939–1945| publisher = Purdue Research Foundation| location = [[West Lafayette, Indiana]]| isbn = 978-1-55753-141-4| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vTZnAAAAMAAJ|page=187}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = Mojzes| first = Paul| title = Balkan Genocides: Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing in the 20th Century| year = 2011| publisher = Rowman & Littlefield| location = [[Lanham, Maryland]]| isbn = 978-1-4422-0665-6| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KwW2O7v7CUcC|pages=94–95}}</ref> The few surviving Jewish families in Pristina eventually left for Israel in 1949.<ref name="Warrander" /> As a result of World War II and forced migration, Pristina's population dropped to 9,631 inhabitants.<ref name="Warrander" />
[[File:23 October 1944 Memorial, Pristina, Kosovo 01.jpg|thumb|230px|War memorial in Pristina.|left]]
The communist decision to make Pristina the capital of Kosovo in 1947 ushered a period of rapid development and outright destruction. The Yugoslav communist slogan at the time was '''uništi stari graditi novi''' (destroy the old, build the new). In a misguided effort to modernize the town, communists set out to destroy the Ottoman bazaar and large parts of the historic center, including mosques, catholic churches and Ottoman houses.<ref name="Warrander" />[[File:Destruction of Bazaar 2.jpg|thumb|Destruction of [[Bazaar of Pristina]] after [[World War II]] ]]A second agreement signed between Yugoslavia and Turkey in 1953 led to the exodus of several hundreds more Albanian families from Pristina. They left behind their homes, properties and businesses.<ref name="Warrander" /> However, this policy changed under the [[1974 Yugoslav Constitution|new constitution]] ratified in 1974. Few of the Ottoman town houses survived the communists' modernization drive, with the exception of those that were nationalized like today's Emin Gjiku Museum or the building of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
As capital city and seat of the government, Pristina creamed off a large share of Yugoslav development funds channeled into Kosovo. As a result, the city's population and its economy changed rapidly. In 1966, Pristina had few paved roads, the old town houses had running water and [[cholera]] was still a problem. [[Prizren]] continued to be the largest town in Kosovo. Massive investments in state institutions like the newly founded [[University of Pristina (1969–1999)|University of Pristina]], the construction of new high-rise socialist apartment blocks and a new industrial zone on the outskirts of Pristina attracted large number of internal migrants. This ended a long period when the institution had been run as an outpost of [[Belgrade University]] and gave a major boost to Albanian-language education and culture in Kosovo. The Albanians were also allowed to use the Albanian flag.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
Within a decade, Pristina nearly doubled its population from about 69,514 in 1971 to 109,208 in 1981.<ref name="Warrander" /> This golden age of externally financed rapid growth was cut short by Yugoslavia's economic collapse and the [[1981 protests in Kosovo|1981 student revolts]]. Pristina, like the rest of Kosovo slid into a deepening economic and social crisis. The year 1989 saw the revocation of Kosovo's autonomy under [[Slobodan Milošević|Milošević]], the rise of [[Serb nationalism]] and mass dismissal of ethnic Albanians.<ref name="Warrander" />
==== Kosovo War ====
{{Main|Kosovo War}}
[[File:089 albanian graves kosovo.jpg|thumb|right|Graves of Kosovo-Albanians war victims south of Pristina.]]
Following the reduction of Kosovo's autonomy by former [[President of Serbia|Serbian President]] [[Slobodan Milošević]] in 1989, a harshly repressive regime was imposed throughout Kosovo by the Yugoslav government with Albanians largely being purged from state industries and institutions.<ref name="Warrander" /> The LDK's{{Clarify|date=February 2018}} role meant, that when the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] began to attack Serbian and Yugoslav forces from 1996 onwards, Pristina remained largely calm until the outbreak of the [[Kosovo War]] in March 1999. Pristina was spared large scale destruction compared to towns like [[Gjakova]] or [[Peja]] that suffered heavily at the hands of Serbian forces. For their strategic importance, however, a number of military targets were hit in Pristina during NATO's aerial campaign, including the post office, police headquarters and army barracks, today's [[Adem Jashari]] garrison on the road to [[Kosovo Polje]].{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
Widespread violence broke out in Pristina. Serbian and Yugoslav forces shelled several districts and, in conjunction with paramilitaries, conducted large-scale expulsions of ethnic Albanians accompanied by widespread looting and destruction of Albanian properties. Many of those expelled were directed onto trains apparently brought to Pristina's main station for the express purpose of deporting them to the border of the [[North Macedonia|Republic of Macedonia]], where they were forced into exile.<ref name="bbc_1999">{{cite news |publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]] (BBC) |title=Kosovo Albanians 'driven into history' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/310092.stm |access-date=1 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327041339/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/310092.stm |archive-date=27 March 2021 |date=1 April 1999 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The majority Albanian population fled Pristina in large numbers to escape Serb policy and paramilitary units. The first NATO troops to enter the city in early June 1999 were Norwegian special forces from FSK [[Forsvarets Spesialkommando]] and soldiers from the British [[Special Air Service]] 22 S.A.S,<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Norli |title=Krigere og diplomater |url=http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051&categoryId=&productId=1085065&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-101&langId=-101&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10651 |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307042943/http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay?catalogid=10051&categoryid=&errorviewname=productdisplayerrorview&langid=-101&parent_category_rn=&productid=1085065&storeid=10651&top_category=&urllangid=-101&urlrequesttype=base |archive-date=7 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=Norli |title=Tittel |url=http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051&categoryId=&productId=286391&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-101&langId=-101&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10651 |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051414/http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051&categoryId=&productId=286391&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-101&langId=-101&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10651 |archive-date=21 April 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> although to NATO's diplomatic embarrassment Russian troops arrived first at the airport. Apartments were occupied illegally and the Roma quarters behind the city park was torched. Several strategic targets in Pristina were attacked by [[NATO]] during the war, but serious physical damage appears to have largely been restricted to a few specific neighbourhoods shelled by Yugoslav security forces. At the end of the war the Serbs became victims of violence committed by Kosovo Albanian extremists. On numerous occasions Serbs were killed by mobs of Kosovo Albanian extremists for merely speaking Serbian in public or being identified as a Serb.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bird |first=Chris |work=[[The Guardian]] |title=Serbs shot in mob attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/30/balkans |access-date=17 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913052459/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/30/balkans |archive-date=13 September 2020 |date=30 November 1999 |url-status=live}}</ref> Violence reached its pinnacle in [[2004 unrest in Kosovo|2004]] when Kosovo Albanian extremists were moving from apartment block to apartment block attacking and [[looting|ransacking]] the residences of remaining Serbs.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |title=The Violence: Ethnic Albanian Attacks on Serbs and Roma |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/7.htm |access-date=17 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427155006/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/7.htm |archive-date=27 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A majority of the city's 45,000 Serb inhabitants fled from Kosovo and today only several dozen remain in the city.<ref name="euronews.net">{{cite web |publisher=[[Euronews]] |title=Serbs in Kosovo vote in Gracanica and Mitrovica |url=http://www.euronews.com/2008/02/03/serbs-in-kosovo-vote-in-gracanica-and-mitrovica/ |access-date=4 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808221934/https://www.euronews.com/2008/02/03/serbs-in-kosovo-vote-in-gracanica-and-mitrovica |archive-date=8 August 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Prishtina seen from Mother Theresa Cathedral.jpg|thumb|right|The city from the [[Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa, Pristina|Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa]].]]
As a capital city and seat of the UN administration ([[UNMIK]]), Pristina has benefited greatly from a high concentration of international staff with disposable income and international organizations with sizable budgets. The injection of reconstruction funds from donors, international organizations and the [[Albanian diaspora]] has fueled an unrivaled, yet short-lived, economic boom. A plethora of new cafes, restaurants and private businesses opened to cater for new (and international) demand with the beginning of a new era for Pristina.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
=== 21st century ===
[[Pristina International Airport]]'s new terminal opened for operations in October 2013, which was built in response to a growing demand for air travel in Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Limak Holding|Limak]] |title=New Terminal of Prishtina International Airport Adem Jashari Inaugurated |url=https://www.limak.com.tr/announcements/new-terminal-of-prishtina-international-airport-adem-jashari-inaugurated#:~:text=The%20whole%20project%2C%20value%20over,from%202%20to%205%20million. |access-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412070815/https://www.limak.com.tr/announcements/new-terminal-of-prishtina-international-airport-adem-jashari-inaugurated |archive-date=12 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> In November of the same year, the [[R 7 (Kosovo)|R7 motorway]] as part of the Albania-Kosovo motorway, linking Pristina and the Albanian city of [[Durrës]] on the [[Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast]], was completed.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Road Traffic Technology |title=Albania{{spaced ndash}}Kosovo Highway Project |url=https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/albaniakosovohighway/ |access-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127165303/https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/albaniakosovohighway/ |archive-date=27 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Another extensive development for the city has been the completion of the [[R 6 (Kosovo)|R6 motorway]] in 2019, connecting Pristina to North Macedonia's capital, [[Skopje]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Begisholli |first=Blerta |work=Balkan Insight |title=Kosovo{{spaced ndash}}North Macedonia Highway Opened With Fanfare |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2019/05/29/north-macedonia-kosovo-highway-opened-with-fanfare/ |access-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102141733/https://balkaninsight.com/2019/05/29/north-macedonia-kosovo-highway-opened-with-fanfare/ |archive-date=2 November 2021 |date=29 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== Geography ==
{{Further|Environmental issues in Pristina}}
[[File:Prishtina the capital city of Kosova.jpg|thumb|right|View of Pristina from the south.]]
Pristina is situated on a alluvial plain in the regions of [[Llap (region)|Llap]] and [[Kosovo field (Kosovo)|Kosovo]] across the [[Gollak|Gollak Hills]] in central and eastern Kosovo.<ref name="Environment">{{cite web |publisher=Komuna e Prishtinës |title=Plani Zhvillimor Komunal i Prishtinës 2012–2022 |url=https://prishtinaonline.com/uploads/prishtina_pzhk_2012-2022_shqip%20(1).pdf |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830214734/https://prishtinaonline.com/uploads/prishtina_pzhk_2012-2022_shqip%20(1).pdf |archive-date=30 August 2021 |pages=10–18 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> Bodies of water in Pristina Municipality include the lakes of [[Badovc Lake|Badovc]] and [[Batllava Lake|Batllava]] as well as the rivers of [[Llapi River|Llapi]], Prishtevka and Vellusha.<ref name="Environment"/> The park of [[Germia Park|Germia]] lies in the east of Pristina and extends in the north of the villages of Llukar and Kolovica to the south at [[Badovc Lake|Badovc]].
Pristina is one of the urban areas with the most severe water shortages in Kosovo.<ref name="balkaninsight">{{cite web |publisher=Balkan Insight |title=Winter Drought Threatens Kosovo Capital's Water |date=21 February 2014 |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-capital-faces-harsh-water-reductions |access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref> Its population have to cope with daily water curbs due to the lack of rain and snowfall, which has left Pristina's water supplies in a dreadful condition.<ref name="balkaninsight"/> The water supply comes from the two main reservoirs of [[Batllava Lake|Batllava]] and [[Badovc Lake|Badovc]].<ref name="balkaninsight" /> However, there are many problems with the water supply that comes from these two reservoirs which supply 92% of Pristina's population.<ref name="annual per">{{cite web|title=ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT OF WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS IN KOSOVO, IN 2012|url=http://www.wwro-ks.org/English/Publications/AnnualPerfor/RAPORTIMI_i_PERFORMANCES_2012.pdf|publisher=Water and Waste Regulatory Office|access-date=2 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306191507/http://www.wwro-ks.org/English/Publications/AnnualPerfor/RAPORTIMI_i_PERFORMANCES_2012.pdf|archive-date=6 March 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> As such, the authorities have increased their efforts to remedy the situation and to make sure that such crises do not hit the city again.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zogjani|first=Nektar|title=Uji Për Prishtinën Në Dorë Të Zotit|url=http://www.gazetajnk.com/?cid=1,1018,7309|publisher=Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë|access-date=2 March 2014|date=2014-01-08}}</ref>
=== Climate ===
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Pristina falls under the periphery of the [[Oceanic climate]] (Cfb) zone with an average annual temperature of {{cvt|10.6|C}}.<ref name="Climate-data">{{cite web |publisher=Climate-Data |title=Climate: Pristina |url=https://en.climate-data.org/europe/republic-of-kosovo/prishtina/prishtina-912068/ |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002154459/https://en.climate-data.org/europe/republic-of-kosovo/prishtina/prishtina-912068/ |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The warmest month in Pristina is August with an average temperature rising to {{cvt|21.8|C}}, while the coldest month is January with an average temperature falling to {{cvt|-0.6|C}}.<ref name="Climate-data"/> Pristina has a moderate climate with an average of 2909.69 hours of sunshine annually.<ref name="Climate-data"/> July is the sunniest month of the year with an average of about 11.5 hours of sunshine a day and by contrast, the average hours of sunshine are less than 4.5 hours per day in January.<ref name="Climate-data"/>
{{Weather box
| name = Climate of Pristina
| width = auto
| collapsed = y
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location = Pristina (1961–1990)
| Jan record high C = 15.8
| Feb record high C = 20.2
| Mar record high C = 26.0
| Apr record high C = 29.0
| May record high C = 32.3
| Jun record high C = 36.3
| Jul record high C = 39.2
| Aug record high C = 36.8
| Sep record high C = 34.4
| Oct record high C = 29.3
| Nov record high C = 22.0
| Dec record high C = 15.6
| year record high C = 39.2
| Jan high C = 2.4
| Feb high C = 5.5
| Mar high C = 10.5
| Apr high C = 15.7
| May high C = 20.7
| Jun high C = 23.9
| Jul high C = 26.4
| Aug high C = 26.7
| Sep high C = 23.1
| Oct high C = 17.1
| Nov high C = 10.1
| Dec high C = 4.1
| year high C = 15.5
| Jan mean C = -1.3
| Feb mean C = 1.1
| Mar mean C = 5.0
| Apr mean C = 9.9
| May mean C = 14.7
| Jun mean C = 17.8
| Jul mean C = 19.7
| Aug mean C = 19.5
| Sep mean C = 15.9
| Oct mean C = 10.6
| Nov mean C = 5.1
| Dec mean C = 0.4
| year mean C = 9.8
| Jan low C = -4.9
| Feb low C = -2.8
| Mar low C = 0.2
| Apr low C = 4.2
| May low C = 8.5
| Jun low C = 11.4
| Jul low C = 12.5
| Aug low C = 12.3
| Sep low C = 9.4
| Oct low C = 5.0
| Nov low C = 0.9
| Dec low C = -3.1
| year low C = 4.4
| Jan record low C = -27.2
| Feb record low C = -24.5
| Mar record low C = -14.2
| Apr record low C = -5.3
| May record low C = -1.8
| Jun record low C = 0.5
| Jul record low C = 3.9
| Aug record low C = 4.4
| Sep record low C = -4.0
| Oct record low C = -8.0
| Nov record low C = -17.6
| Dec record low C = -20.6
| year record low C = -27.2
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 38.9
| Feb precipitation mm = 36.1
| Mar precipitation mm = 38.8
| Apr precipitation mm = 48.8
| May precipitation mm = 68.2
| Jun precipitation mm = 60.3
| Jul precipitation mm = 51.6
| Aug precipitation mm = 44.0
| Sep precipitation mm = 42.1
| Oct precipitation mm = 45.4
| Nov precipitation mm = 68.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 55.5
| year precipitation mm = 597.9
| Jan humidity = 83
| Feb humidity = 77
| Mar humidity = 70
| Apr humidity = 65
| May humidity = 67
| Jun humidity = 67
| Jul humidity = 63
| Aug humidity = 62
| Sep humidity = 68
| Oct humidity = 74
| Nov humidity = 80
| Dec humidity = 83
| year humidity = 71
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 13.6
| Feb precipitation days = 12.3
| Mar precipitation days = 11.4
| Apr precipitation days = 12.1
| May precipitation days = 12.8
| Jun precipitation days = 11.9
| Jul precipitation days = 8.3
| Aug precipitation days = 7.9
| Sep precipitation days = 7.5
| Oct precipitation days = 8.6
| Nov precipitation days = 12.3
| Dec precipitation days = 14.5
| year precipitation days = 133.2
| Jan snow days = 10.2
| Feb snow days = 8.3
| Mar snow days = 6.2
| Apr snow days = 1.5
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.5
| Nov snow days = 3.4
| Dec snow days = 8.1
| year snow days = 38.2
| Jan sun = 70.8
| Feb sun = 96.0
| Mar sun = 143.0
| Apr sun = 184.0
| May sun = 227.9
| Jun sun = 246.3
| Jul sun = 299.3
| Aug sun = 289.6
| Sep sun = 225.8
| Oct sun = 173.5
| Nov sun = 96.9
| Dec sun = 70.2
| year sun = 2123.3
| source = [[Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia]]<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia]] |title=Pristina: Monthly and annual means, maximum and minimum values of meteorological elements for the period 1961–1990 |url=http://www.hidmet.gov.rs/eng/meteorologija/stanica_sr.php?moss_id=13481 |access-date=9 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728154013/http://www.hidmet.gov.rs/eng/meteorologija/stanica_sr.php?moss_id=13481 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
== Politics ==
{{Main|Politics in Pristina}}
[[File:Lulzim Makolli Skenderbeu VS Qeveria 2.jpg|thumb|right|View of the government building of Kosovo and the Skanderbeg Monument at the [[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Square]].]]
Pristina is the capital city of [[Kosovo]] and plays an instrumental role in shaping the political and economic life of the country.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Kosovës |title=Ligji Nr. 06/L-012 për Kryeqytetin e Republikës së Kosovës, Prishtinën |url=https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=16506 |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924130927/https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=16506 |archive-date=24 September 2020 |language=sq |date=6 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is the location of the [[Parliament of Kosovo]] headquartered at the Mother Teresa Square and the official residence and workplace of the [[President of Kosovo|President]] and [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo|Kuvendi Kosovës]] |title=The Assembly Building |url=https://www.kuvendikosoves.org/eng/about-the-assembly/the-assembly-building/ |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003103253/https://www.kuvendikosoves.org/eng/about-the-assembly/the-assembly-building/ |archive-date=3 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Pristina is also home to Kosovo's [[Constitutional Court of Kosovo|Constitutional Court]], [[Supreme Court of Kosovo|Supreme Court]] and [[Judiciary of Kosovo#The Court of Appeals|Appeal Court]] as well as the [[Judiciary of Kosovo#Seven basic courts and court branches|Basic Court of Pristina]].
Pristina is a [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] governed by a [[Mayor–council government|mayor–council system]] with the mayor of Pristina and the members of the Pristina Municipal Council responsible for the administration of Pristina Municipality. The municipality is encompassed in [[District of Pristina|Pristina District]] and consists of 43 adjacent settlements with Pristina as its seat.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Kosovës |title=Ligji Nr. 03/L-041 për kufijtë Administrativ të Komunave |url=https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=2518 |access-date=27 May 2021 |pages=3–21 |language=sq }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] (UNMIK) |title=Rregullore Nr. 2000/43 Mbi Numrin, Emrat dhe Kufinjtë e Komunave |url=http://www.unmikonline.org/regulations/unmikgazette/03albanian/A2000regs/RA2000_43.htm |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213142841/http://www.unmikonline.org/regulations/unmikgazette/03albanian/A2000regs/RA2000_43.htm |archive-date=13 December 2017 |date=22 July 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) |title=Statistikat e Përgjithshme: Kosova në Shifra 2020 |url=https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/6298/kosova-n%C3%AB-shifra-2020.pdf |access-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004113747/https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/6298/kosova-n%C3%AB-shifra-2020.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2021 |page=12 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> The mayor of Pristina is elected by the people to act as the chief executive officer of Pristina Municipality.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Pristina Municipality |title=Kryetari: Përgjegjësitë e Kryetarit të Komunës |url=https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pergjegjesite-e-kryetarit-te-komunes/ |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003103739/https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pergjegjesite-e-kryetarit-te-komunes/ |archive-date=3 October 2021 |language=sq |date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Pristina Municipal Council is the legislative arm of the municipality and is also a democratically elected institution, comprising 51 councillors since the latest municipal election.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Pristina Municipality |title=Kuvëndi: Përshkrimi |url=https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pershkrimi/ |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003104141/https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pershkrimi/ |archive-date=3 October 2021 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref>
== Economy ==
{{See also|Tourism in Pristina}}
[[File:Prishtina nga Katedrala 1.jpg|thumb|right|Pristina is home to the largest companies of Kosovo.]]
Pristina constitutes the heart of the [[economy of Kosovo]] and of vital importance to the country's stability. The [[tertiary sector]] is the most important for the [[economy]] of the city and employs more than 75% of work force of Pristina.<ref name="Economy">{{cite web |title=Bizneset dhe rrethina e biznesit |url=https://kk-arkiva.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Ekonomi-dhe-Zhvillim-Lokal/Ekonomia.aspx |website=kk-arkiva.rks-gov.net |language=sq}}</ref> 20% of the working population makes up the [[secondary sector]] followed by the [[primary sector]] with only 5%.<ref name="Economy"/>
Pristina is the primary tourist destination in [[Kosovo]] as well as the main air gateway to the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourist-destinations.com/2012/08/kosovo-travel-guide-and-travel-info.html|title=Kosovo|author=+Jugoslav Spasevski|work=Tourist Destinations|date=10 August 2012 |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> It is known as a university center of students from neighbouring countries as [[Albania]], [[Republic of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]], [[Montenegro]] and Serbia. In 2012, Tourism in [[Tourism in Kosovo|Pristina]] attracted around 100,000 foreign visitors.<ref>{{cite web | title=Hotel Statistics in Q3 2013 (Alb. Statistikat e hotelierisë TM3 2013) | page=9 | url=http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | year=2013 | publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics | access-date=2014-03-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302190730/http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | archive-date=2014-03-02 | url-status=dead }}</ref> which represents 74.2%.<ref>{{cite web | title=Kosovo Agency of Statistics, 'Hotel Statistics in Q3 2013' | page=9 | url=http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | year=2013 | publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics | access-date=2014-03-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302190730/http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | archive-date=2014-03-02 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Most foreign tourists come from [[Albania]], [[Turkey]], [[Germany]], [[United States]], [[Slovenia]], [[Montenegro]], [[Republic of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]], with the number of visitors from elsewhere growing every year.<ref>{{cite web | title=Kosovo Agency of Statistics, 'Statistikat e hotelierisë TM3 2013' | page=13 | url=http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | year=2013 | publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics | access-date=2014-03-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302190730/http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | archive-date=2014-03-02 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Hot Uni.jpg|thumb|[[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Square]] of Pristina in during the summer]]
The city has a large number of luxury hotels, modern restaurants, bars, pubs and very large nightclubs. Coffee bars are a representative icon of Pristina and they can be found almost everywhere. The largest hotels of the city are the [[Swiss Diamond Prishtina|Swiss Diamond]] and the [[Grand Hotel Prishtina]] situated in the heart of the city. Other major hotels present in Pristina include the Emerald Hotel, Sirius Hotel and Hotel Garden.
Some of the most visited sights near the city include the [[Batllava Lake]] and [[Marble Cave, Kosovo|Marble Cave]], which are also among the most visited places in country.<ref>{{cite web| title=12 thousand foreign tourists visited Kosovo (alb. 12 mijë turistë të huaj e vizituan Kosovën)| url=http://www.fermaime.com/?id=14&l=1001| year=2013| access-date=2014-03-06| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055526/http://www.fermaime.com/?id=14&l=1001| archive-date=2018-12-03| url-status=dead}}</ref> Pristina has played a very important role during the World War II, being a shelter for Jews, whose cemeteries now can be visited.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Kosovo.html|title=Kosovo Virtual Jewish History Tour|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/24/kosovo-jewish-cemetery-restored-university-students_n_884244.html#s297878|title=Kosovo's Jewish Cemetery Restored By University Students (PHOTOS)|work=The Huffington Post|date=24 June 2011 |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref><ref>Material Culture and the history of the city of Prishtina (Alb. Kultura materiale dhe historia e qytetit të Prishtinës), [http://www.yllpress.com/12452/kultura-materiale-dhe-historia-e-qytetit-te-prishtines.html]</ref>
== Infrastructure ==
=== Transport ===
{{Main|Transport in Pristina}}
[[File:Prishtina International Airport "Adem Jashari" Limak Kosovo.jpg|230px|thumb|right|The terminal of [[Pristina International Airport|Adem Jashari International Airport]].]]
Pristina constitutes the [[economic]] and [[financial]] heart of Kosovo, in part due to its high population, modern [[infrastructure]] and [[Geography of Kosovo|geographical location]] in the center of the country. Following the [[independence of Kosovo]], the city has undergone significant improvements and developments vastly modernising and expanding the [[economy]], infrastructure and most notably [[transportation]] by [[Air transport|air]], [[Rail transport|rail]] and [[Road transport|road]].<ref>[http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Projects/Buxheti/Infrastrukture.aspx Komuna e Prishtinës: Investime të mëdha në infrastrukturë] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727162721/http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Projects/Buxheti/Infrastrukture.aspx |date=2010-07-27 }}.</ref>
Pristina is the most important and frequent road junction of Kosovo as all of the major [[Controlled-access highway|expressways]] and [[motorway]]s passes through the city limits. Most of the [[Motorways in Kosovo|motorways of Kosovo]] are largely completed and partially under construction or under planning process. Immediately after completion, Pristina will provide direct access to [[Skopje]] through the [[R 6 (Kosovo)|R6 motorway]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ROUTE 6: HIGHWAY PRISHTINA - SKOPJE |url=http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |website=kfos.org |pages=29–35 |language=en |date=2015 |access-date=2019-01-02 |archive-date=2016-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322043415/http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[R 7 (Kosovo)|R7 motorway]] significantly connects [[Durrës]] with Prishtina and will have near future a direct connection to the [[Pan-European corridor X]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ROUTE 6: HIGHWAY PRISHTINA - SKOPJE |url=http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |website=kfos.org |pages=13–28 |language=en |date=2015 |access-date=2019-01-02 |archive-date=2016-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322043415/http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[Pristina International Airport]] serves as the premier gateway to the country and carries almost 2 million passengers per year with connections to many destinations around different countries and cities of [[Europe]] with the most frequent routes to [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]] as well as to [[Slovenia]], [[Turkey]] and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Civil Aviation Authority of Kosovo]] |title=Statistics on passengers and flights at PIA Adem Jashari 2016 |url=http://caa-ks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Statistikat-e-udhetareve-2016-8.pdf |website=caa-ks.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205100130/http://caa-ks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Statistikat-e-udhetareve-2016-8.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2017 |page=7 |language=en |date=2 January 2019}}</ref>
Pristina is the transport hub of road, rail and air in Kosovo. The [[Trafiku Urban|city's buses]], trains and planes together all serve to maintain a high level of connectivity between Pristina many different districts and beyond. Analysis from the Traffic Police have shown that, of 240,000 cars registered in Kosovo, around 100,000 (41%) are from the region of Pristina. {{citation needed|date=March 2018}} The [[Pristina railway station]] is located near the city center.
Pristina effectively has two train stations. Pristina railway station lies west of the center, while [[Fushë Kosovë railway station]] is Kosovo's railway hub.<ref name="inyourpocket2">{{cite web|url=http://www.inyourpocket.com/kosovo/pristina/arrival-transport/trains|title=Trains - Arrival & Transport in Pristina - In Your Pocket city guide - essential travel guides to cities in Kosovo|publisher=inyourpocket.com|access-date=2014-03-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302175702/http://www.inyourpocket.com/kosovo/pristina/arrival-transport/trains|archive-date=2014-03-02}}</ref>
Pristina is serviced by a train that travels through Pristina to [[Skopje]] daily. The station is located in the industrial section of Pristina.
{{Clear}}
=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Pristina}}
[[File:National Library of Kosovo photo Arben Llapashtica.jpg|thumb|[[Bird's-eye view|Bird's-eye-view]] of the [[National Library of Kosovo]]]]
Pristina is the center of [[education]] in the country and home to many public and private primary and secondary schools, colleges, academies and universities, located in different areas across the city. The [[University of Pristina]] is the largest and oldest university of the city and was established in the 20th century.
Finance, arts, journalism, medicine, dentistry, pharmaceuticals, veterinary programs, and engineering are among the most popular fields for foreigners to undertake in the city. This brings a many of young students from other cities and countries to Pristina. It is known for its many educational institutions such as University of Pristina, [[Universiteti i Prishtinës Faculty of Arts|University of Pristina Faculty of Arts]] and the [[Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo]].
Among the first schools known in the city were those opened during the Ottoman period.<ref name="history-culture-refworld">[http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a80c0.html "The History, Culture and Identity of Albanians in Kosovo"], Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, ''The History, Culture and Identity of Albanians in Kosovo'', 1 May 1997, accessed 23 February 2014.</ref> Albanians were allowed to attend these schools, most of which were religious, with only few of them being secular.<ref name="history-culture-refworld" />
The city has numerous [[libraries]], many of which contain vast collections of historic and cultural documents. The most important library in terms of historic document collections is the [[National Library of Kosovo]].{{Clear}}
== Demography ==
{{Main|Demographics of Pristina|l1=Demography of Pristina}}
{{Historical populations
|title = Population history of Pristina Municipality
|align = right
|direction = horizontal
|percentages = pagr
| 1948 | 44,089
| 1953 | 51,457
| 1961 | 69,810
| 1971 | 105,273
| 1981 | 148,656
| 1991 | 199,654
| 2011 | 198,897
| 2021 | 218,782
| source = <ref>{{cite web |publisher=Population statistics of Eastern Europe and former USSR |title=Division of Kosovo |url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kosovo-division.htm |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002163533/http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kosovo-division.htm |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
According to the [[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) estimate from the 2011 census, there were 198,897 people residing in Pristina Municipality, representing the [[List of cities and towns in Kosovo|most populous city]] and [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] of Kosovo.<ref name="Census 2011"/> The urban population of Pristina Municipality was approximately 160,000, while the rural population was around 37,000.<ref name="Census 2011"/> With a population density of 380,3 people per square kilometre, Pristina is the third most densely populated municipality of Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) |title=Kosovo Census Atlas |url=https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2009/kosovo-census-atlas-2011.pdf |access-date=7 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517072507/https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2009/kosovo-census-atlas-2011.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2021 |page=10 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In terms of ethnicity, Pristina's inhabitants were 97.77% [[Albanians|Albanian]], 1.08% [[Turkish people|Turkish]], 0.28% [[Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians|Ashkali]], 0.22% [[Serbs|Serbian]], 0.2% [[Bosniaks|Bosniak]], 0.1% [[Gorani people|Gorani]] and 0.03% [[Romani people|Romani]].<ref name="2011 Census Ethnicity and Language">{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) |title=Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave në Kosovë 2011–Rezultatet përfundimtare |url=https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2074/te-dhenat-kryesore.pdf |access-date=2 October 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110085827/https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2074/te-dhenat-kryesore.pdf |archive-date=10 January 2020 |pages=143–149 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> By language, 98.09% spoke [[Albanian language|Albanian]] as a first language. Other spoken languages in Pristina Municipality were [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (1.04%), [[Serbian language|Serbian]] (0.25%) and [[Romani language|Romani]] (0.03%).<ref name="2011 Census Ethnicity and Language"/> By religion, there were 193,474 (97.27%) [[Islam|Muslims]], 1,170 (0.59%) [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholics]], 480 (0.24%) [[Eastern orthodoxy|Orthodox]], 344 (0.17%) of other religions and 660 (0.33%) [[irreligious]].<ref name="2011 Census Ethnicity and Language"/><ref name="Religion 2011">{{cite web |title=Religious composition of Kosovo 2011 |url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kosovo-religion-loc2011.htm |website=pop-stat.mashke.org |language=sq}}</ref>
Kosovo is a [[secular state]] with no [[state religion]]. The freedom of [[freedom of belief|belief]], [[Freedom of conscience|conscience]] and [[Freedom of religion|religion]] is explicitly guaranteed in the [[Constitution of Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo |url=http://www.kryeministri-ks.net/repository/docs/Constitution1Kosovo.pdf |website=kryeministri-ks.net |page=17 |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=KOSOVO 2017 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT |url=https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/281166.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529205635/https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/281166.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-05-29 |website=state.gov |language=en }}</ref> [[Islam]] and [[Christianity]] are the most widely practiced religions among the people of Pristina. The remaining 1.9% of the population reported having no religion, or another religion, or did not provide an adequate answer.<ref name="Religion 2011"/> Pristina has centres of worship for a multitude of faiths for its population. The [[Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa, Pristina|Cathedral of Pristina]] is perhaps the largest [[cathedral]] in Kosovo and is named in honour of the [[Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia|Albanian]] [[Roman Catholic]] nun and missionary, [[Mother Teresa]]. Some of the [[mosque]]s of Pristina, among others the [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Imperial Mosque]] and [[Çarshi Mosque]], are centuries old and were built during the [[Middle Ages]] by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]].
{{multiple image
| align = center
| total_width = 700
| image_style = border:none;
| image1 = The Great Mosque in Prishtina.JPG
| caption1 = [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Great Mosque]]
| image2 = Pamje e katedrales.jpg
| caption2 = [[Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa]]
| image3 = Carshi Mosque in Pristina.JPG
| caption3 = [[Çarshi Mosque]]
| image4 = Christ the Savior Cathedral in Pristina, 9 February 2014.jpg
| caption4 = [[Church of Christ the Saviour, Pristina|Christ the Saviour Church]]
| header = Religious buildings in Pristina
| image5 = Llap Mosque, Pristina.JPG
| caption5 = [[Llapi Mosque]]
}}
{{Clear}}
== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture in Pristina}}
{{See also|Historical monuments in Pristina}}
[[File:Muzeu i Kosovës.JPG|230px|thumb|right|The [[Kosovo Museum]] is the earliest institution of cultural heritage in Kosovo, established with the goal of preserving, restoration-conservation and presentation of movable heritage on the territory.]]
As the capital city of the [[Republic of Kosovo (2008)|Republic of Kosovo]], it is the center of cultural and artistic development of all [[Albanians]] that live in [[Kosovo]]. Pristina is home to the largest cultural institutions of the country, such as the [[National Theatre of Kosovo]], [[Kosovo Museum|National Archaeology, Ethnography and Natural science Museum]], [[Kosova National Art Gallery|National Art Gallery]] and the [[Ethnological Museum, Pristina|Ethnological Museum]]. The [[National Library of Kosovo]] has more than 1.8 million books, periodicals, maps, atlases, microfilms and other library materials.
There are many foreign cultural institutions in Pristina, including the Albanian [[Albanological Institute of Pristina|Albanological Institute]], the French [[Alliance Française]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.af-pristina.com/|title=Alliance Française de Prishtina|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> the [[British Council]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kosovo.britishcouncil.org/en|title=British Council - Kosovo|website=kosovo.britishcouncil.org|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref>
and the German [[Goethe-Institut]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slzprishtina.org/haus/menu/prufungen/goethe-institut/|title=Sprachlernzentrum in Prishtina|website=www.slzprishtina.org|access-date=28 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525233359/http://slzprishtina.org/haus/menu/prufungen/goethe-institut/|archive-date=25 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Friedrich Ebert Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fes-prishtina.org/wb/pages/english/home.php|title=Welcome, Office Prishtina, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. - Home|website=www.fes-prishtina.org|access-date=28 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626142423/http://www.fes-prishtina.org/wb/pages/english/home.php|archive-date=26 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Information Office of the [[Council of Europe]] was also established in Pristina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/pristina/home|title=Home|website=Council of Europe Office in Pristina|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Hyjnesha ne fron.JPG|140px|thumb|left|The [[Goddess on the Throne]] is one of the most precious archaeological artifacts of the country and has been adopted as the symbol of Pristina.]]
{{multiple image
|align = right
|total_width = 240
|image1 = Clock Tower-Sahat Kulla.JPG
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|image2 = Ethnographic_Museum_in_Prishtina.jpg
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|footer = The [[Clock Tower of Pristina|Clock Tower]] served as a means of informing the town in order to let people know when to pray as well as the traders closing their shops. <small>'''(left)'''</small> The [[Ethnological Museum, Pristina|Ethnological Museum]]. <small>'''(right)'''</small>}}
Of 426 protected historical monuments in [[Kosovo]], 21 are in Pristina.<ref name=KSI.9>{{cite web|title=Një e ardhme për të kaluarën e Pishtinës|url=http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_future_of_pristina%20booklet_albanian.pdf|publisher=Kosova Stability Initiative, European Stability Initiative|access-date=23 February 2014|page=9|language=sq}}</ref>
A large number of these monuments date back to the [[Byzantine]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] periods.<ref name="Kulla.jeta">{{cite web |last=Limani |first=Jeta |title=Kulla of Mazrekaj family in Dranoc |url= http://www.lth.se/fileadmin/hdm/alumni/papers/CMHB_2007/Kosova___Jeta_Limani_-_Kulla_of_Mazrekaj_Family.pdf |page=2}}</ref>
Starting in 1945, the [[Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] authorities began constructing a modern Pristina with the idea of "destroy the old, build the new".<ref name=K.3>{{cite book|last=Warrander|first=Gail|title=Kosovo|publisher=[[Bradt Travel Guides]] Ltd., UK|isbn=978-1-84162-331-3|pages=3|url=http://www.bradtguides.com/|author2=Verena Knaus|year=2010}}</ref> This modernization led to major changes in the structure of the buildings, their function and their surrounding environment.<ref name="coe.3">{{cite web |title=CONSERVATION BASIS FOR THE "HISTORIC CENTRE" OF PRISHTINË |url= http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/cooperation/kosovo/publications/20130129-PristinaCS.pdf |page=3 |language=en, sq, sr |date=December 2012}}</ref>
However, numerous types of monuments have been preserved, including four mosques, a restored orthodox church, an [[Turkish bath|Ottoman bath]], a public fountain, a [[Clock Tower of Pristina|clock tower]], several traditional houses as well as European-influenced architecture buildings such as Kosovo Museum.<ref name="coe.16">{{cite web |title=Conservation Basis for the "historic Centre" of Prishtinë |language=en, sq, sr |page=16 |url= http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/cooperation/kosovo/publications/20130129-PristinaCS.pdf |date=December 2012}}</ref> These symbolize the historical and cultural character of Pristina as it was developed throughout centuries in the spirit of conquering empires ([[Roman Empire|Roman]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]], [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]]).<ref name="Kulla.jeta"/>
The ''Hivzi Sylejmani'' library was founded 70 years ago and it is one of the largest libraries regarding the number of books in its inventory which is nearly 100.000. All of those books are in service for the library's registered readers.<ref name="Municipality of Prishtina">[http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Kulture.aspx Letërnjoftim i shkurtër për kulturën e kryeqytetit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405061301/https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Kulture.aspx |date=2015-04-05 }} Short notice of capital culture. Retrieved 25 February 2014.</ref>{{failed verification|date=March 2018}}
The ''Mbretëresha e Dardanisë'' ''(Queen of Dardania)'' or ''Hyjnesha ne Fron'' ''(The Goddess on the Throne)'' is an artifact that was found during some excavations in 1955<ref>[http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=en&id=178 'Tjerrtorja' Archaeological Site (listed since 1955).] Retrieved 1 March 2014</ref> in the area of [[Ulpiana]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Roman army as a community|first1=Adrian Keith|last1=Goldsworthy|first2=Ian|last2=Haynes|first3=Colin E. P.|last3=Adams|isbn=1887829342|year=1997|publisher= Journal of Roman Archaeology|page=100}} Retrieved 2 March 2014.</ref> a suburb of Pristina. It dates back to [[35th century BC|3500 BC]] in the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Era]] and it is made of clay.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130407182037/http://www.balkanweb.com/kultur%EB/2691/idhulli-i-dardanise-apo-hyjnesha-ne-fron-56278.html Idhulli i Dardanisë apo Hyjnesha në fron] Dardanian idol or Goddess on the Throne. Retrieved 22 February 2014.</ref> In Pristina there is also "Hamami i Qytetit" (The City Bath) and the house of Emin Gjika which has been transformed to the Ethnographic Museum. Pristina also has its municipal archive which was established in the 1950s and holds all the records of the city, municipality and the [[District of Pristina|region]].<ref name="Municipality of Prishtina" />
{{clear}}
=== Media ===
{{Main|Media in Pristina}}
Media in Pristina include some of the most important newspapers, largest publishing houses and most prolific television studios of Kosovo. Pristina is the largest communications center of media in [[Kosovo]]. Almost all of the major media organizations in Kosovo are based in Pristina.<ref name="Kosovo Media Institute">[http://www.mc.rs/upload/documents/razno/KMI_e-directory-media.pdf Kosovo Media Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717183241/http://www.mc.rs/upload/documents/razno/KMI_e-directory-media.pdf|date=2019-07-17}} Major media organizations in Kosovo and their addresses.</ref> The television industry developed in Pristina and is a significant employer in the city's economy. The four major broadcast networks, [[Radio Television of Kosovo|RTK]], [[RTV21]], [[Kohavision|KTV]] and KLAN KOSOVA are all headquartered in Pristina.
[[Radio Television of Kosovo]] (RTK) is the only public broadcaster both in Pristina and in all of Kosovo as well, who continues to be financed directly by the state. All of the daily newspapers in Pristina have a readership throughout Kosovo.<ref name="OSCE">{{cite web |title=OSCE |url=http://www.osce.org/kosovo |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> An important event which affected the development of the media, is that in [[Universiteti i Prishtinës|University of Pristina]] since 2005 is established the Journalism Faculty within the Faculty of Philology in which are registered a large number of youth people.<ref name="Fakulteti i Filologjisë - Ballina">{{cite web |title=Fakulteti i Filologjisë - Ballina |url=http://filologjia.uni-pr.edu/ |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref>
===Music===
{{further|Music composition and composers in Pristina}}
[[File:Rita_Ora_(cropped).jpg|170px|thumb|right|Singer [[Rita Ora]] was born in Pristina to [[Kosovo Albanians|Albanian]] parents. ]]
[[Albanian music]] is considered to be very rich in genres and their development. But before talking about genre development, a key point that has to be mentioned is without doubt the rich [[Music of Kosovo|folklore]] of Kosovo most of which unfortunately has not been digitalized and saved in archives. The importance of folklore is reflected in two main keys, it is considered a treasure" of cultural heritage of our country and it helps to enlighten the [[Albanian history]] of that time, and the importance of that is of a high level especially when mentioning the circumstances of our territory in that time.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rudi|first=Rafet|title=Sprova Estetike - Muzika e shekullit XX (''Esthetical Challenges" - Music of the 20th Century'')|year=2002|publisher=Dukagjini|page=135}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shqiperia.com/Folklori-dhe-folkloristika.360/ |title=Portali Shqiperia}}</ref> Folklore has also served as inspiration and influence in many fields including music composition in the next generations<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gazetajnk.com/?cid=1,3,4787/|title=Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë - Kosovë - Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë|work=Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë}}</ref> One of the most notable and very first composers, [[Rexho Mulliqi]] in whose work, folklore inspiration and influence is very present.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/21806/rexho-mulliqi-nismetar-i-muzikes-artistike-ne-kosove|title=Zeri.info - Rexho Mulliqi- Nismëtar i muzikës artistike në Kosovë|work=zeri.info|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302174028/http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/21806/rexho-mulliqi-nismetar-i-muzikes-artistike-ne-kosove|archive-date=2014-03-02}}</ref>
When highlighting the music creativity and its starts in Kosovo and the relation between it and the music creativity in Albania even though they have had their development in different circumstances, it is proved that they share some characteristics in a very natural way. This fact shows that they belong to one "Cultural Tree".
Some of few international music artists of Albanian heritage that were born or their families were from Pristina are [[Rita Ora]], [[Dua Lipa]] and [[Era Istrefi]].
=== Theater ===
{{Main|Theatres in Pristina}}[[File:PRISHTINE KOSOVE (4).jpg|thumb|The [[National Theatre of Kosovo|National Theater of Kosovo]], lies in the city center on the [[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Square]]]]The city of Pristina hosts only three active theatres such as the [[National Theater of Kosovo|National Theater]], Oda and Dodona Theatre placed in center of Pristina. They offers live performances every week. The National Theatre is placed in the middle downtown of the city, near the main government building and was founded in 1946.<ref>{{cite web|title= The National theatre of Kosovo | website=[[TheGuardian.com]]| url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/jun/22/unrestricted-views-national-theatre-kosovo}}</ref> ODA Theatre is situated in the Youth Center Building and Dodona Theatre is found in Vellusha district, which is near Ibrahim Rugova Square.
The [[National Theatre of Kosovo|National Theater of Kosovo]] is the highest-ranked theater institution in the country and has the largest number of productions. The theater is the only public theater in [[Kosovo]] and therefore it is financed by Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. This theater has produced more than 400 premieres which have been watched by more than 3 million spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mkrs-ks.org/?page=1,134|title=Profili|access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref>
=== Festivals ===
{{Main|Events and festivals in Pristina}}
{{See also|Fairs in Pristina}}
[[File:Peter_Donohoe_plays_in_%27Diar_Hall%27_2013.jpg|230px|right|thumb|[[Peter Donohoe (pianist)|Peter Donohoe]] playing piano in Pristina in 2013.]]
The [[Prishtina International Film Festival]] screens prominent international cinema productions in the [[Balkans|Balkan region]] and beyond, and draws attention to the Kosovar [[film industry]]. It was created after the [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence]]. After its [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|independence in 2008]], [[Kosovo]] looked for ways to promote its cultural and artistic image.
One of major festivals include the Chopin Piano Fest Pristina that was established for the first time on the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary of [[Frédéric Chopin]] in 2010 by the Kosovo Chopin Association.<ref name="Wordpress">{{cite web|last=Luzha|first=Besa|title=Chopin Piano Fest Prishtina|url=http://chopinkosova.com/|publisher=WordPress|access-date=2014-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110103010/http://chopinkosova.com/|archive-date=2014-01-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> The festival is becoming a traditional piano festival held in spring every year. It is considered to be a national treasure.<ref name="Selmani">{{cite web|last=Selmani|first=Arber|title='Chopin Fest' eshte pasuri shteterore|url=http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/4084/pula-chopin-fest-eshte-pasuri-shteterore|access-date=2014-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302144418/http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/4084/pula-chopin-fest-eshte-pasuri-shteterore|archive-date=2014-03-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> In its 5 years of formation it has offered interpretations by both world-famous pianists such as [[Peter Donohoe (pianist)|Peter Donohoe]], [[Janina Fialkowska]], Kosovo-Albanian musicians of international renown like [[Classical music in Kosovo|Ardita Statovci]], Alberta Troni and local talents.<ref name="Verdi">{{cite web|title="Chopin Piano Fest", në kujtim të Verdit|url=http://www.koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,5,141223|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302144355/http://www.koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,5,141223|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-03-02|publisher=Koha Net|access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref><ref name="Selmani" /> The Festival strives to promote the art of interpretation, the proper value of music and the technicalities that accompany it.<ref name="Selmani" /> The Festival has served as inspiration for the formation of other music festivals like Remusica and Kamerfest.<ref name="Verdi" />
The [[DAM Festival Pristina]] is one of the most prominent cultural events taking place in the capital. It is an annual music festival which gathers young and talented national and international musicians from all over the world. This festival works on enriching the Kosovar cultural scene with the collision of the traditional and the contemporary. The festival was founded by musician [[Dardan Selimaj]].<ref name=Consti>{{cite web|title=DAM Festival-KadMusArts|url=http://kadmusarts.com/festivals/1857.html|access-date=2014-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302202213/http://kadmusarts.com/festivals/1857.html|archive-date=2014-03-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Clear}}
=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Pristina}}
[[File:Street-eu3.jpg|230px|thumb|right|[[Streetball Kosova|Streetballers]] at the [[Germia Park]]]]
Pristina is the center of sport in [[Kosovo]], where activity is organized across amateur and professional levels, sport organizations and clubs, regulated by the [[Kosovo Olympic Committee]] and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.<ref name="shega">{{cite web|title=Departamenti i Sportit:Profili|url=http://www.mkrs-ks.org/?page=1,48|access-date=1 March 2014}}</ref> Sport is organized in units called Municipal Leagues. There are seven Municipal Leagues in Pristina. The Football Municipal consists of 18 clubs, the Basketball Municipal 5 clubs, the Handball Municipal 2 clubs, Table Tennis and Chess 6 clubs each, the Karate Municipal 15 and the Tennis Municipal 2 clubs.<ref name="ministria">{{cite web|title=Sport|url=http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Sport.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128062509/http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Sport.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 November 2010|access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref>
Football is the most popular sport in the city. It is represented by [[FC Prishtina]], which plays their home games in the [[Fadil Vokrri Stadium]]. [[Basketball]] has been also one of the most popular sports in Pristina and is represented by [[KB Prishtina]]. It is the most successful basketball club in Kosovo and is part of the Balkan League.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sigal Prishtina hap etapën e re në basketboll|url=http://www.koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,18,121113|access-date=1 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908021533/http://koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,18,121113|archive-date=8 September 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Joining it in the Superleague is another team from Pristina, RTV 21.<ref>{{cite web|title=ETC SUPERLIGA|url=http://www.basketbolli.com/sq/league/etc-superliga|access-date=1 March 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402174016/http://www.basketbolli.com/sq/league/etc-superliga|archive-date=2 April 2014}}</ref>
[[Streetball Kosova|Streetball]] is a traditionally organized sport and cultural event at the [[Germia Park]] since 2000. Apart from indoor basketball success, Che Bar team has been crowned the champion of the national championship in 2013. This victory coincided with Streetball Kosovo's acceptance in [[FIBA]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Che Bar kampione e Kosovës në Streetball|url=http://www.kosovastreetball.org/|access-date=1 March 2014}}</ref> [[Team handball|Handball]] is also very popular. Pristina's representatives are recognized internationally and play international matches.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
In September 2023, Pristina was named host city for the [[2030 Mediterranean Games]].
== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Kosovo}}
Pristina is a founding member of the Union of Albanian Municipalities in the Region.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 November 2016 |title=Zyrtarizohet UBSHR, mbledh Konferencën e parë |url=https://ubshr.tirana.al/mbahet-konferenca-e-pare-e-unionit-te-bashkive-dhe-komunave-shqiptare-ne-rajon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002190614/https://ubshr.tirana.al/mbahet-konferenca-e-pare-e-unionit-te-bashkive-dhe-komunave-shqiptare-ne-rajon/ |archive-date=2 October 2021 |access-date=2 October 2021 |publisher=Unioni i Bashkive Shqiptare (UBSHR) |language=sq}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |last=Bytyçi |first=Muhamet |title=Politikat Lokale – Bashk olitikat Lokale – Bashkëpunimi Ndërkomunal në K ëpunimi Ndërkomunal në Kosovë |type=MPA thesis |publisher=[[University for Business and Technology]] (UBT) |url=https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=etd |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812094056/https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=etd |archive-date=12 August 2021 |doi=10.33107/ubt-etd.2019.21 |page=42 |doi-broken-date=1 August 2023 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref>
Pristina is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:{{efn|name=fn2|Citations regarding the twin or sister cities of Pristina:<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Ankara|Ankara Metropolitan Municipality]] |title=Sister cities of Ankara |url=https://www.ankara.bel.tr/en/foreign-relations-department/sister-cities-of-ankara#.YViNENpBzIU |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002164826/https://www.ankara.bel.tr/en/foreign-relations-department/sister-cities-of-ankara |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Bursa|Bursa Municipality]] |title=Kardeş Şehirler |url=https://www.bursa.bel.tr/sayfa/kardes-sehirler-261 |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002165140/https://www.bursa.bel.tr/sayfa/kardes-sehirler-261 |archive-date=2 October 2021 |language=tr |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] |title=Des Moines to become Sister Cities with Pristina, Kosovo |url=https://www.dsmpartnership.com/news-media/blog/des-moines-to-become-sister-cities-with-pristina-kosovo |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416112537/https://www.dsmpartnership.com/news-media/blog/des-moines-to-become-sister-cities-with-pristina-kosovo |archive-date=16 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Namur|Ville de Namur]] |title=Relations Internationales |url=https://www.namurinternational.be/ |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002165611/https://www.namurinternational.be/ |archive-date=2 October 2021 |language=fr |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagdeco|Turkey}} [[Ankara]], Turkey
* {{flagdeco|Turkey}} [[Bursa]], Turkey
* {{flagdeco|United States of America}}[[Des Moines]], United States of America
* {{flagdeco|Belgium}} [[Namur]], Belgium
{{div col end}}
Pristina also has a partnership agreement with [[Zagreb]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistical Yearbook of the City of Zagreb 2018 |url=https://www.zagreb.hr/UserDocsImages/arhiva/statistika/SYCZ_2018%2023%2004%202019%20links.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022171011/https://www.zagreb.hr/UserDocsImages/arhiva/statistika/SYCZ_2018%2023%2004%202019%20links.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2020 |access-date=6 October 2021 |publisher=[[Zagreb|City of Zagreb]] |page=34}}</ref>{{Clear}}
== See also ==
* [[List of people from Pristina]]
== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Pristina|collapsible=collapsed}}
* [https://prishtinaonline.com Municipality of Pristina]{{spaced ndash}}Official Website
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Prishtina |volume=22|page=361 |short=x}}
{{Pristina}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pristina}}
[[Category:Pristina| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Kosovo|Pristina]]
[[Category:Populated places in Pristina District]]
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[[Category:Municipalities of Kosovo]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext) | '{{Short description|Capital of Kosovo}}
{{About|the city in Kosovo|other uses|Pristina (disambiguation)}}
{{Pp|small=yes}}
{{Update|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Pristina
| native_name =
| settlement_type = [[Capital city]] and [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 290
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2
| image1 = Prishtina seen from Mother Theresa Cathedral.jpg
| image2 = Goddess on throne.JPG
| image3 = Gebäude der UNMIK NEW BORN SIGN PRISTINA KOSOVO Giv Owned Image 23 August 2008.jpg
| image4 = Muzeu_i_Kosovës.JPG
| image5 = 2011 Prisztina, Wieża zegarowa.JPG
| image6 = Prishtina and the great Hamam.jpg
| image7 = Lulzim Makolli Skenderbeu VS Qeveria 2.jpg}}
| image_caption = '''From top, left to right''': view of Pristina; [[Goddess on the Throne]]; [[Newborn monument|Newborn Monument]]; [[Kosovo Museum]]; [[Clock Tower of Pristina|Clock Tower]]; [[Great Hamam of Pristina|Great Hamam]] and [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Imperial Mosque]]; and [[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Monument]]
| image_alt = View of Pristina
| image_flag = [[File:Prishtina-flag.svg|135px]]
| flag_alt = Flag of Pristina
| image_seal = [[File:Prishtina-seal.svg|60px]]
| seal_alt = Seal of Pristina
| pushpin_map = #Kosovo#Europe
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Pristina in Kosovo and Europe
| pushpin_mapsize = 290
| pushpin_relief = 1
| coordinates = {{Coord|42|39|48|N|21|9|44|E|type:adm1st_region:XK|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name =
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[Kosovo]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Municipalities of Kosovo|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name2 = Pristina
| established_title =
| established_date =
| government_type = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| leader_party = [[Democratic League of Kosovo|LDK]]
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = [[Përparim Rama]]
| leader_title1 = Council
| leader_name1 = Pristina Municipal Council
| unit_pref = Metric
| elevation_m = 652
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_blank1_title = Ethnicity
| population_blank1 = {{ubl|97.77% [[Albanians|Albanian]]|1.1% [[Demographics of Kosovo|Other]]}}
| population_urban = 161,751
| population_rural = 37,146
| population_demonym = [[Albanian language|Albanian]]: ''Prishtinas (m)'' <br> ''Prishtinase (f)'' <br /> [[Gheg Albanian|Gheg dialect]]: ''Prishtinali (m)'' <br> ''Prishtinalike (f)''
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = [[Postal codes in Kosovo|Postal code]]
| postal_code = 10000
| area_code_type = Area code
| area_code = +383 (0) 38
| blank1_name = Motorways
| blank1_info = [[File:R6-Kosovo.svg|28px|link=R 6 (Kosovo)]] [[File:R7-Kosovo.svg|28px|link=R 7 (Kosovo)]]
| blank2_name = Major airport
| blank2_info = [[Pristina International Airport|Adem Jashari Airport]]
| website = {{URL|https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/|kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/}}
| registration_plate = [[Vehicle registration plates of Kosovo|01]]
| population_rank = [[List of cities and towns in Kosovo|1st in Kosovo]]
| area_rank = [[Municipalities of Kosovo#List_of_municipalities|6th in Kosovo]]
| total_type = Municipality
| area_total_km2 = 523.13
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Prime Minister of Kosovo|Prime Minister Office of Kosovo]] |title=Komisioni për majten e territorit të Republikës së Kosovës |url=https://kryeministri-ks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Raport_Faktografik_Matja_e_territorit_te_Republikes_se_Kosoves_032017.pdf |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922113615/https://kryeministri-ks.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Raport_Faktografik_Matja_e_territorit_te_Republikes_se_Kosoves_032017.pdf |archive-date=22 September 2020 |page=52 |language=sq |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_total = 198897
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2011">{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] |title=Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave në Kosovë 2011 – Rezultatet Përfundimtare: Të Dhënat Demografike sipas Komunave |url=http://ask.rks-gov.net/rekos2011/repository/docs/Te_dhenat_kryesore_demografike_sipas_komunave.pdf |access-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081103/http://ask.rks-gov.net/rekos2011/repository/docs/Te%20dhenat%20kryesore%20demografike%20sipas%20komunave.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |page=14 |language=sq |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
}}
'''Pristina''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|p|r|iː|ʃ|t|ɪ|n|ə|,_|p|r|ɪ|ʃ|ˈ|t|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|PREE|shtin|ə|,_|prish|TEE|nə}},<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Pristina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424172807/https://www.lexico.com/definition/pristina |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-24 |title=Pristina |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |work=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |title=Pristina |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pristina |access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|p|r|ɪ|ʃ|t|ɪ|n|ə}} {{respell|PRISHT|in|ə}})<ref>{{cite American Heritage Dictionary|Pristina|access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref>{{efn|name=fn1|{{lang-sq|Prishtinë}}, {{IPA-sq|pɾiʃˈtinə|pron}}, [[Definiteness|definite]] [[Albanian morphology#Nouns (declension)|form]]: ''Prishtina'', {{IPA-sq|pɾiʃˈtina|pron|Prishtina.ogg}}; {{lang-sr|Приштина|Priština}}, {{IPA-sh|prǐʃtina|pron}}.<ref name="Define Pristina">{{cite web |publisher=[[Dictionary.com]] |title=Define{{spaced ndash}}Pristina |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pristina |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311073459/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pristina |archive-date=11 March 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} is the capital and largest city of [[Kosovo]]. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and [[District of Pristina|district]].<ref name="Define Pristina"/>
In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the [[Dardanian Kingdom]]. The heritage of the classical era is represented by the settlement of [[Ulpiana]]. After the [[Roman Empire]] was divided into a western and an eastern half, the area remained within the [[Byzantine Empire]] between the 5th and 9th centuries. In the middle of the 9th century, it was ceded to the [[First Bulgarian Empire]], before falling again under Byzantine occupation in the early 11th century and then in the late 11th century to the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]]. The growing [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Kingdom of Serbia]] annexed the area in 13th century and it remained under the [[Serbian Empire]] in the 14th century up to the start of the Ottoman era (1389-1455). The next centuries would be characterized by [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule. During this period, Pristina developed from a village to a major urban center of the region. Following the end of the [[First Balkan War]] in 1914, it became a part of the newly formed [[Kingdom of Serbia]]. In 1948, it was chosen as the capital of the province [[Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo|SAP Kosovo]] under the statehood of [[Yugoslavia]]. Furthermore, Pristina would continue to serve as the capital of Kosovo after its [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|2008 independence]] from Serbia.
Pristina seems to have been a small village before the late 15th century. It is first recorded in 1342 as a village during the reign of [[Stefan Dušan]], and about a century later in 1455 at the beginning of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman era]] it had a small population of 300 households. In the following century, 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 (material)|goatskin]] and goat hair as well as gunpowder.<ref name=Warrander>{{cite book|last=Warrander|first=Gail|title=Kosovo|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, UK|isbn=978-1-84162-331-3|pages=85–88|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSaH1bKAb8QC|author2=Verena Knaus|year=2010}}</ref> <!--The first mosque in Pristina was built in the late 14th century while under Serbian rule.<ref name="Warrander" />-->
Pristina is the capital and the [[economic]], [[financial]], [[political]] and [[trade]] center of Kosovo, due to its 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 of Kosovo|President]] and [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]], and the [[Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo|Parliament of Kosovo]]. Pristina is also the most important transportation junction of Kosovo for [[Air transport|air]], [[Rail transport|rail]], and [[Road transport|roads]]. [[Pristina 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 (Kosovo)|R 6]] and [[R 7 (Kosovo)|R 7]], radiate out the city and connect it to [[Albania]] and [[North Macedonia]]. Pristina will host the [[2030 Mediterranean Games]].
== Etymology ==
The origin of the name of the city is unknown. [[Eric P. Hamp]] connected the word with an Indo-European derivative ''*pṛ-tu-'' (ford) + ''*stein'' (cognate to English ''stone'') which in [[Proto-Albanian language|Proto-Albanian]], spoken in the region before the reign of Roman Emperor Trajan (1st–2nd century CE) produced ''Pristina''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mehmeti |first1=Col |title=This Time In Linguistics History: Eric Hamp and Albanian Linguistics |url=https://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/time-linguistics-history-eric-hamp-and-albanian-linguistics |publisher=Linguistic Society of America}}</ref> Thus the name in the pre-Slavic migrations era would mean in the local Albanian variety "ford-stone" (compare [[Stanford]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curtis |first1=Matthew |title=Slavic-Albanian Language Contact, Convergence, and Coexistence |page=42 |date=2012 |publisher=Ohio State University |isbn=978-1-2675-8033-7 |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED546136 }}</ref>
Prišt in [[Serbian language|Serbian]] means ''"boil"'' and this may be a reference to the seething waters of the nearby river [[Gračanka]].<ref name="Everett-Heath2000">{{cite book |author=J. Everett-Heath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uK2HDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA373 |title=Place Names of the World - Europe: Historical Context, Meanings and Changes |date=1 August 2000 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |isbn=978-0-230-28673-3 |pages=373–}}</ref> [[Marko Snoj]] proposes the derivation from a [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] form *''Prišьčь'', a possessive adjective from the personal name *''Prišьkъ'',{{Efn|Preserved in the Kajkavian surname Prišek, in the Old Polish personal name Parzyszek, and in the Polish surname Pryszczyk|name=fn3|group=}} and the derivational suffix ''-ina'' 'belonging to X and his kin'. The name is most likely a [[patronymic]] of the personal name *''Prišь''.{{Efn|Preserved as a surname in Sorbian Priš, and Polish Przybysz, a hypocoristic of the Slavic personal name Pribyslavъ|name=Fn4}}<ref>SNOJ, Marko. 2007. Origjina e emrit të vendit Prishtinë. In: BOKSHI, Besim (ed.). ''Studime filologjike shqiptare: konferencë shkencore'', 21–22 nëntor 2007. Prishtinë: Akademia e Shkencave dhe e Arteve e Kosovës, 2008, pp. 277–281.</ref> According to [[Aleksandar Loma]], Snoj's etymology would presuppose a rare and relatively late word formation process.<ref name="loma">{{Citation |last=Loma |first=Aleksandar |title=Топонимија Бањске хрисовуље |journal=Onomatološki Prilozi |page=181 |year=2013 |trans-title=Toponymy of the Banjska Chrysobull |place=Belgrade |publisher=Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts |language=sr |issn=0351-9171 |author-link=Aleksandar Loma}}</ref> According to Loma, the name of the city could be derived from the [[Proto-Slavic]] dialectal word *''pryščina'', meaning "[[Spring (hydrology)|spring (of water)]]".{{Efn|Also attested in the Moravian dialects of Czech, derived from the verb *pryskati, meaning "to splash" or "to spray" (prskati in modern Serbian)}}<ref name="loma" /> The inhabitants of this city, which most of them are Albanians, call themselves ''Prishtinali'' in the local [[Gheg Albanian]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YUdJAAAAYAAJ&q=prishtina+prishtinali |title=The Linguist: Journal of the Institute of Linguists |date=2003 |publisher=The Institute |pages=101 |language=en}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Early development ===
The area of Pristina has been inhabited since the Neolithic era by [[Early European Farmers]] after 7,000 BCE in the Balkans: [[Starčevo culture|Starčevo]] followed by its successors [[Vinča culture|Vinča]], [[Baden culture|Baden]] and lastly Bubanj-Hum.<ref name="Authors 1975, p.43">{{citation |first1=Sh. |last1=Ajdini |first2=Q. |last2=Bytyqi |first3=H. |last3=Bycinca |first4=I. |last4=Dema |first5=S. |last5=Zeqa |first6=As. |last6=Iseni |first7=J. |last7=Mitroviq |display-authors=4 |title=Ferizaj dhe rrethina |location=Beograd |year=1975 |pages=43{{spaced ndash}}45 |ref={{SfnRef|Ajdini et al.|1975}}}}</ref> The earliest recognized references were discovered in [[Gračanica, Kosovo|Gračanica]], [[Matiçan]] and [[Ulpiana]].<ref name="Warrander" />
[[File:ULPIANA foto Arben Llapashtica 2016.jpg|thumb|[[Ulpiana]] was an important political, cultural, and economic center of the Roman province of [[Dardania (Roman province)|Dardania]].|left]]By the early Iron Age, the distinctly [[Dardani]]an local variant of the [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] [[Glasinac-Mati culture]] appears in Kosovo with a particular spread in hilltop settlements. In the area of Pristina, a hilltop settlement appears since the 8th century BCE at an altitude of 685m near the village Teneshdoll, ~16 km to the north of the Pristina city center. Pottery finds suggests that the area may have been in use since the Bronze Age. The settlement seems to have maintained long-distance trade contacts as the finding of a [[skyphos]] vessel from Aegean Greece suggests.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Alaj|first=Premtim|year=2019|title=Les habitats de l'Age du fer sur le territoire de l'actuel Kosovo |publisher=Université de Lyon|url=https://hal.inria.fr/tel-02503916/ |pages=683-690, 111-119 }}</ref>
During the 4th century BC, a [[Dardanian Kingdom]] was established in the region.<ref name="Cambridge">[https://books.google.com/books?id=vx251bK988gC&pg=PA428 ''The Cambridge Ancient History: The fourth century B.C.'' Volume 6 of The Cambridge Ancient History], Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards, {{ISBN|0-521-85073-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-521-85073-5}}, Authors: D. M. Lewis, John Boardman, Editors: D. M. Lewis, John Boardman, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1994 {{ISBN|0-521-23348-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-521-23348-4}}.</ref><ref name="Adams 1997">{{cite book|last=Adams|first=Douglas Q.|title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture|year=1997|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn|isbn= 978-1-884964-98-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC|editor=James P. Mallory}}</ref><ref name="Wilson 2006">{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Nigel Guy|title=Encyclopedia Of Ancient Greece|year=2006|publisher=Taylor & Francis Group|isbn= 978-0-415-97334-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCZsPgAACAAJ}}</ref> Following the [[Illyrian Wars|Roman conquest of Illyria]] in 168 BC, Romans colonized and founded several cities in the region.<ref>Hauptstädte in Südosteuropa: Geschichte, Funktion, nationale Symbolkraft by Harald Heppner, p. 134</ref>
[[Ulpiana]] was an important Roman city on the Balkan Peninsula and in the 2nd century BC it was declared a [[municipium]]. Ulpiana suffered tremendous damage from an earthquake in 518 AD.<ref name="Justiniana">[http://www.mkrs-ks.org/repository/docs/drafti_i_guides_-anglisht_final.pdf Archaeological Guide of Kosovo ] Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Archaeological Institute of Kosovo, Pristina 2012</ref> After the Roman Empire was divided into a western and an eastern half, the area remained within the [[Byzantine Empire]] for the following centuries. Emperor [[Justinian I]] rebuilt the city in great splendor and renamed it "[[Justiniana Secunda]]", although with the arrival of Slavs in the 6th century, the settlement again fell into disrepair.<ref name="Justiniana"/> In the middle of the 9th century, it was ceded to the [[First Bulgarian Empire]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
=== 11th to 16th centuries ===
[[File:Prishtina and the great Hamam.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Imperial Mosque]] was built by orders of Sultan [[Mehmed the Conqueror]] in the 15th century.]]
In the early 11th century, Pristina fell under Byzantine rule and the area was included into a province called [[Theme of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]. Between the late 11th and middle of the 13th century it was ceded several times to the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]].
In 1315, the nearby [[Gračanica monastery]] was founded by King [[Stefan Milutin]]. [[Stefan Dušan]] used a location in the area of Pristina as his court before moving eventually to the vicinity of Skopje as he moved his rule southwards.<ref name="Zarkovic2021">{{cite journal |last1=Bozidar |first1=Zarkovic |title=Mining Marketplaces: Exponents of Urban Development of Medieval Serbia |journal=Collection of Papers of the Faculty of Philosophy |date=2021 |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=71–91|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1010792 |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="Laszlo2012">{{cite journal |last1=Gulyas |first1=Laszlo |last2=Csullog |first2=Gabor |title=Kosovo's Territorial Characteristics from the Roman Empire to the Fall of the Medieval Serbian State |journal=West Bohemian Historical Review |date=2012 |pages=11–26 |url=https://dspace5.zcu.cz/bitstream/11025/11382/1/Gulyas.pdf |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref> The first historical record mentioning Pristina by its name dates back to 1342 when the Byzantine Emperor [[John VI Kantakouzenos]], on visit to Stefan Dušan at his royal court, described Pristina as a 'village'.<ref name="Warrander" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Milic |first1=Danica |last2=Novakovic |first2=Relja |last3=Popovic |first3=Toma |last4=Radevic |first4=Milorad |title=Istorijski Casopis |date=1975 |publisher=Istorijski institut |location=Belgrade | page = 71| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3lwCgAAQBAJ |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref><ref name="Zarkovic2021" /> During the time of the [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Kingdom of Serbia]] in the early 14th century, the main route between the Western Balkans and [[Constantinople]] ran through Pristina.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Milic |first1=Danica |last2=Novakovic |first2=Relja |last3=Popovic |first3=Toma |last4=Radevic |first4=Milorad |title=Istorijski Casopis |date=1975 |publisher=Istorijski institut |location=Belgrade | pages = 45–46| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3lwCgAAQBAJ |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref> Following the [[Battle of Kosovo]], Pristina fell within the realms of the [[Serbian Despotate]] under Prince [[Stefan Lazarević]]. A bitter feud between Lazarević and [[Đurađ Branković]] developed and led to open conflict, with Pristina being the scene of heavy fighting in 1409 and 1410.<ref name="Muhadri">{{cite journal |last1=Muhadri |first1=Bedri |title=The Invasion of Kosovo from the Ottomans in the XIV Century |journal=European Journal of Social Sciences Studies |date=2017 |volume=2 |url=https://oapub.org/soc/index.php/EJSSS/article/view/167 |access-date=23 February 2023}}</ref> At the turn of the 15th century during the time of the Serbian Despotate, Pristina was a major trading post for [[silver]], with many traders hailing from the [[Republic of Ragusa]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Milic |first1=Danica |last2=Novakovic |first2=Relja |last3=Popovic |first3=Toma |last4=Radevic |first4=Milorad |title=Istorijski Casopis |date=1975 |publisher=Istorijski institut |location=Belgrade | page = 66| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3lwCgAAQBAJ |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref>
Between the end of the 14th and the middle of the 15th century, Ottoman rule was gradually imposed in the town. In the course of the 14th and 15th centuries, Pristina began to develop as a mining and trading center thanks to its proximity to the rich mining town of [[Novo Brdo]], and due to its position of the Balkan trade routes. The old town stretching out between the Vellusha and Prishtevka rivers which are both covered over today, became an important crafts and trade center. Pristina was famous for its annual trade fairs (''Panair'')<ref name="Warrander" /> and its goat hide and goat hair articles. Around 50 different crafts were practiced from tanning to leather dying, belt making and silk weaving, as well as crafts related to the military – armorers, smiths, and saddle makers. As early as 1485, Pristina artisans also started producing gunpowder. Trade was thriving and there was a growing colony of Ragusan traders (from modern day [[Dubrovnik]]) providing the link between Pristina's craftsmen and the outside world.<ref name="Warrander" /> In 1455 Pristina had a significant Muslim Albanian population.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Madgearu |first=Alexandru |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/144570965 |title=The wars of the Balkan Peninsula : their medieval origins |date=2008 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |others=Martin Gordon, Alexandru Madgearu |isbn=978-0-8108-5846-6 |edition=[Rev. ed.] |location=Lanham, Md. |oclc=144570965}}</ref> The settlement at the time had about 300 households. About 3/4 were Christian and 1/4 Muslim.<ref name="Egro">{{cite book|last=Egro|first=Dritan|editor=Oliver Jens Schmitt|title=Islam in the Albanian lands (XVth-XVIIth century)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCdYHU9PtiIC&pg=PA31|series=Religion und Kultur Im Albanischsprachigen Südosteuropa|year=2010|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-3631602959|pages=31}}</ref> In the 15th century the toponym ''Arnaut'' was recorded in the town, which indicates an Albanian presence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rexha |first=Iljaz |title=Registration of settlements and Albanian population on Kosovo |publisher=Institute of History “Ali Hadri” |year=2016 |location=Prishtinë |pages=513}}</ref> The 1487 defter recorded 412 Christian and 94 Muslim households in Pristina, which at the time was administratively part of the [[Sanjak of Viçitrina]].
In the early Ottoman era, [[Islam]] was an urban phenomenon and only spread slowly with increasing urbanization. The travel writer [[Evliya Çelebi]], visiting Pristina in the 1660s was impressed with its fine gardens and vineyards.<ref name="Warrander" /> In those years, Pristina was part of the Vıçıtırın Sanjak and its 2,000 families enjoyed the peace and stability of the Ottoman era. Economic life was controlled by the guild system (''esnafs'') with the tanners' and bakers' guild controlling prices, limiting unfair competition and acting as banks for their members. Religious life was dominated by religious charitable organizations often building mosques or fountains and providing charity to the poor.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
=== 17th to 20th centuries ===
[[File:Unity-Brotherhood Monument Prishtina7.jpg|thumb|180px|The Monument of [[Brotherhood and Unity]] by [[Miodrag Živković (sculptor)|Miodrag Živković]] in the city center. "Brotherhood and unity" was a popular slogan of the [[Communist Party of Yugoslavia]].]]
During the [[Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699)|Austro-Turkish War]] in the late 17th century, Pristina citizens under the leadership of the Catholic Albanian priest [[Pjetër Bogdani]] pledged loyalty to the Austrian army and supplied troops. He contributed a force of 6,000 Albanian soldiers to the Austrian army which had arrived in Pristina. According to [[Noel Malcolm|Malcolm]], Prishtina in the 17th century was inhabited by mostly 15,000 Muslims, probably Albanian but possibly including also some Slavs.<ref>Noel Malcolm - [https://books.google.com/books/about/Rebels_Believers_Survivors.html?id=BgrGywEACAAJ&redir_esc=y Rebels, Believers, Survivors: Studies in the History of the Albanians] p. 133-135 'The first large town reached by Piccolomini was Prishtina, which had a mostly Muslim population of 3,000
households (roughly 15,000 people); many of these had apparently fled, but one early account states that ‘in Prishtina 5,000 Arnauts, having thrown off the Turks,
and many leaders of the surrounding places...swore fealty to the Emperor?* Who were these ‘Arnauts’? Although this word is normally treated simply as a synonym for ‘Albanians, there are (as we shall see) some doubts as to how such apparently ‘ethnic labels were used by West European writers at this time. However, the fact that this writer clearly contrasts these ‘Arnauts’ in Prishtina with the people of the ‘surrounding places’ suggests that they were inhabitants of the town—in which case they were mostly Muslims, probably Albanian but very possibly including some Slavs.'</ref> Austrian military archives from the years of 1689-90 mention '5,000 Muslim [[Albanians]] in Prishtina who had risen against the Turks'.<ref>Albanian History, Austrian Military Archives - [http://www.albanianhistory.net/1689_Kosovo-Turkish-War/ Kosovo In the Great Turkish War] :
'The reputation of this commander grew more and more because of his orderliness such that 5,000 Arnauts [Muslim Albanians] in Pristina [Prishtina] who had risen against the Turks and [the inhabitants of] many of the major towns in the vicinity had given to understand that they would submit to the rule of the Emperor. Thus, when he arrived in Pristina, they swore allegiance to the Emperor and at that moment, this large tract of territory came under the shadow of the laurels of His Imperial Majesty.'</ref><ref>Noel Malcolm - [https://books.google.com/books/about/Rebels_Believers_Survivors.html?id=BgrGywEACAAJ&redir_esc=y Rebels, Believers, Survivors: Studies in the History of the Albanians] p. 133-135</ref> Under Austrian occupation, [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|The Fatih Mosque]] (''Mbretit Mosque'') was briefly converted to a [[Jesuit]] church.<ref name="Warrander" /> Following the Austrian defeat in January 1690, Pristina's inhabitants were left at the mercy of Ottoman and [[Tatar]] troops who took revenge against the local population as punishment for their co-operation with the Austrians. A French officer traveling to Pristina noted soon afterwards that "Pristina looked impressive from a distance but close up it is a mass of muddy streets and houses made of earth".<ref name="Warrander" />
The year 1874 marked a turning point. That year the railway between [[Salonika]] and [[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]] started operations and the seat of the vilayet of Prizren was relocated to Pristina. This privileged position as capital of the Ottoman vilayet lasted only for a short while. from January until August 1912, Pristina was liberated from Ottoman rule by Albanian rebel forces led by [[Hasan Prishtina]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bogdanović
|first=Dimitrije |author-link=Dimitrije Bogdanović |editor=Antonije Isaković |title=Knjiga o Kosovu |url=http://www.kosovo.net/sk/rastko-kosovo/istorija/knjiga_o_kosovu/index.html |access-date=January 9, 2011
|volume=2 |orig-year=1984 |date=November 2000 |publisher=[[Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts]] |location=Belgrade |language=sr |chapter=Albanski pokreti 1908–1912. |chapter-url=http://www.kosovo.net/sk/rastko-kosovo/istorija/knjiga_o_kosovu/bogdanovic-kosovo_2.html |quote=... ustanici su uspeli da ... ovladaju celim kosovskim vilajetom do polovine avgusta 1912, što znači da su tada imali u svojim rukama Prištinu, Novi Pazar, Sjenicu pa čak i Skoplje ... U srednjoj i južnoj Albaniji ustanici su držali Permet, Leskoviku, Konicu, Elbasan, a u Makedoniji Debar ...}}</ref> However, The [[Kingdom of Serbia]] opposed the plan for a [[Greater Albania]], preferring a partition of the European territory of the [[Ottoman Empire]] among the four [[Balkan League|Balkan allies]].<ref name="report">{{cite web
| url = https://archive.org/stream/reportofinternat00inteuoft#page/46/mode/2up/search/47
| title = Report of the International Commission to Inquire into the Causes and the Conduct of the Balkan Wars
|author=Josef Redlich, Baron d'Estournelles, M. Justin Godart, Walter Shucking, [[Francis W. Hirst]], [[H. N. Brailsford]], Paul Milioukov, Samuel T. Dutton
| year = 1914
| publisher = Carnegie Endowment for International Piece
| location = Washington D.C.
| page = 47
| access-date = January 10, 2011
| quote = This demonstration of Turkish weakness encouraged new allies, the more so that the promises of Albanian autonomy, covering the four vilayets of Macedonia and Old Servia, directly threatened the Christian nationalities with extermination.
}}</ref> On October 22, 1912, Serb forces took Pristina. However, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the first Balkan War, occupied Kosovo in 1915 and took Pristina under Bulgarian occupation.<ref name="E">{{cite book |title= Historical Dictionary of Kosovo |last=Elsie |first=Robert |year=2010 |publisher= Scarecrow Press, Inc. |location= estover road plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0-8108-7231-8 |pages=xxxiv |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg-aeA-nUeAC&q=Prishtina |access-date=2013-05-18}}</ref>
During the [[Massacres of Albanians in the Balkan Wars]], Pristina suffered many atrocities; the Serbian army entered Pristina on 22 October.<ref name="Trix">{{cite book |last1=Trix |first1=Francis |title=Urban Muslim Migrants in Istanbul: Identity and Trauma Among Balkan Immigrants |date=2008 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1786731081 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBOMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |ref=Trix}}</ref> Albanian and Turkish households were looted and destroyed, and women and children were killed.<ref name="Karoubi174">{{cite book|last=Karoubi|first=Mohammad Taghi|title=Just or Unjust War?: International Law and Unilateral Use of Armed Force by States at the Turn of the 20th Century|year=2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781351154666|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_dADwAAQBAJ&q=archbishop+skopje+massacres&pg=PT268|pages=174}}</ref> A Danish journalist based in Skopje reported that the Serbian campaign in Pristina "had taken on the character of a horrific massacring of the Albanian population".<ref name="Trix"/><ref name="Karoubi174"/> An estimated 5,000 people in Pristina were murder in the early days of the Serbian occupation.<ref name="Lieberman60">{{cite book|last=Lieberman|first=Benjamin|title=Terrible Fate: Ethnic Cleansing in the Making of Modern Europe|year=2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781442230385|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXlfAgAAQBAJ&q=balkan+wars+catholic+reports+durham|pages=60}}</ref><ref name="Karoubi174"/><ref name="NY Times">{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/12/31/100385991.pdf|title=Servian Army Left a Trail of Blood; Thousands of Men, Women, and Children Massacred in March to Sea, Say Hungarian Reports.|access-date=6 September 2016}}</ref> The events have been interpreted as an early [[Ethnic cleansing|attempt to change the region's demographics]].<ref name="Trix"/> Serbian settlers were brought into the city, and [[Prime Minister of Serbia|Serbian Prime Minister]] [[Nikola Pašić]] bought {{convert|1214|acre|ha}} of land.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Banac |first1=Ivo |title=The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics |date=1988 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-9493-2 |page=296 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KfqbujXqQBkC&q=slaughter+of+Albanians+1912&pg=PA295 |access-date=2 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Pristinans who wore a ''[[Qeleshe|plis]]'' were targeted by the Serbian army; those who wore the Turkish [[Fez (hat)|fez]] were safe, and the price of a fez rose steeply.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Mislav Horvat|author2= Jusuf Osmani|title=Kolonizimi Serbi Kosoves (The Serbian Colonisation of Kosovo) |date=2010 |publisher=REND Prishtinë |location=Pristina |page=67 |quote=Se në tregun e Prishtinës, më 18 tetor 1912 më një lirë ari të Turqisë mund të bliheshin 82 fesa turq. Më 10 nëntor 1912, po në këtë treg, një fes mund të blihej me 82 lira ari. Ngritja kaq e lartë e çmimit ishte bërë për shkak se ushtria serbe likuidonte të gjithë njerëzit me plisa të bardhë, ndërsa i kursente ata që mbanin fesin turk në krye.|url=https://www.academia.edu/27205754 |access-date=29 March 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Prishtina 1924.jpg|left|thumb|Aerial view of Pristina in 1924]]
In late October 1918, the 11th French colonial division took over Pristina and returned Pristina back to what then became the 'First [[Yugoslavia]]' on the 1st of December 1918.<ref name="E"/> In September 1920, the decree of the colonization of the new southern lands' facilitated the takeover by Serb colonists of large Ottoman estates in Pristina and land seized from Albanians.<ref name="E"/> The interwar period saw the first exodus of Albanian and Turkish speaking population.<ref name="Warrander" /><ref name="E"/> From 1929 to 1941, Pristina was part of the [[Vardar Banovina]] of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]].
On 17 April 1941, Yugoslavia surrendered unconditionally to axis forces. On 29 June, [[Benito Mussolini]] proclaimed a greater Albania, with most of Kosovo under Italian occupation united with Albania. There ensued mass killings of Serbs, in particular colonists, and an exodus of tens of thousands of Serbs.{{sfn|Murray|1999|p=15}}<ref name="books.google.com">Sabrina P. Ramet [https://books.google.com/books?id=FTw3lEqi2-oC&dq=Mithat+Frasheri&pg=PA141 ''The three Yugoslavias: state-building and legitimation''], 1918–2005</ref> After the capitulation of Italy, [[Nazi Germany]] took control of the city. In May 1944, 281 local Jews were arrested by units of the [[21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)|21st ''Waffen'' Mountain Division of the SS ''Skanderbeg'' (1st Albanian)]], which was made up mostly of Muslim Albanians. The Jews were later deported to Germany, where many were killed.<ref>{{cite book| last = Fischer| first = Bernd Jürgen| author-link = Bernd Jürgen Fischer| year = 1999| title = Albania at War, 1939–1945| publisher = Purdue Research Foundation| location = [[West Lafayette, Indiana]]| isbn = 978-1-55753-141-4| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vTZnAAAAMAAJ|page=187}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = Mojzes| first = Paul| title = Balkan Genocides: Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing in the 20th Century| year = 2011| publisher = Rowman & Littlefield| location = [[Lanham, Maryland]]| isbn = 978-1-4422-0665-6| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KwW2O7v7CUcC|pages=94–95}}</ref> The few surviving Jewish families in Pristina eventually left for Israel in 1949.<ref name="Warrander" /> As a result of World War II and forced migration, Pristina's population dropped to 9,631 inhabitants.<ref name="Warrander" />
[[File:23 October 1944 Memorial, Pristina, Kosovo 01.jpg|thumb|230px|War memorial in Pristina.|left]]
The communist decision to make Pristina the capital of Kosovo in 1947 ushered a period of rapid development and outright destruction. The Yugoslav communist slogan at the time was '''uništi stari graditi novi''' (destroy the old, build the new). In a misguided effort to modernize the town, communists set out to destroy the Ottoman bazaar and large parts of the historic center, including mosques, catholic churches and Ottoman houses.<ref name="Warrander" />[[File:Destruction of Bazaar 2.jpg|thumb|Destruction of [[Bazaar of Pristina]] after [[World War II]] ]]A second agreement signed between Yugoslavia and Turkey in 1953 led to the exodus of several hundreds more Albanian families from Pristina. They left behind their homes, properties and businesses.<ref name="Warrander" /> However, this policy changed under the [[1974 Yugoslav Constitution|new constitution]] ratified in 1974. Few of the Ottoman town houses survived the communists' modernization drive, with the exception of those that were nationalized like today's Emin Gjiku Museum or the building of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
As capital city and seat of the government, Pristina creamed off a large share of Yugoslav development funds channeled into Kosovo. As a result, the city's population and its economy changed rapidly. In 1966, Pristina had few paved roads, the old town houses had running water and [[cholera]] was still a problem. [[Prizren]] continued to be the largest town in Kosovo. Massive investments in state institutions like the newly founded [[University of Pristina (1969–1999)|University of Pristina]], the construction of new high-rise socialist apartment blocks and a new industrial zone on the outskirts of Pristina attracted large number of internal migrants. This ended a long period when the institution had been run as an outpost of [[Belgrade University]] and gave a major boost to Albanian-language education and culture in Kosovo. The Albanians were also allowed to use the Albanian flag.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
Within a decade, Pristina nearly doubled its population from about 69,514 in 1971 to 109,208 in 1981.<ref name="Warrander" /> This golden age of externally financed rapid growth was cut short by Yugoslavia's economic collapse and the [[1981 protests in Kosovo|1981 student revolts]]. Pristina, like the rest of Kosovo slid into a deepening economic and social crisis. The year 1989 saw the revocation of Kosovo's autonomy under [[Slobodan Milošević|Milošević]], the rise of [[Serb nationalism]] and mass dismissal of ethnic Albanians.<ref name="Warrander" />
==== Kosovo War ====
{{Main|Kosovo War}}
[[File:089 albanian graves kosovo.jpg|thumb|right|Graves of Kosovo-Albanians war victims south of Pristina.]]
Following the reduction of Kosovo's autonomy by former [[President of Serbia|Serbian President]] [[Slobodan Milošević]] in 1989, a harshly repressive regime was imposed throughout Kosovo by the Yugoslav government with Albanians largely being purged from state industries and institutions.<ref name="Warrander" /> The LDK's{{Clarify|date=February 2018}} role meant, that when the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] began to attack Serbian and Yugoslav forces from 1996 onwards, Pristina remained largely calm until the outbreak of the [[Kosovo War]] in March 1999. Pristina was spared large scale destruction compared to towns like [[Gjakova]] or [[Peja]] that suffered heavily at the hands of Serbian forces. For their strategic importance, however, a number of military targets were hit in Pristina during NATO's aerial campaign, including the post office, police headquarters and army barracks, today's [[Adem Jashari]] garrison on the road to [[Kosovo Polje]].{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
Widespread violence broke out in Pristina. Serbian and Yugoslav forces shelled several districts and, in conjunction with paramilitaries, conducted large-scale expulsions of ethnic Albanians accompanied by widespread looting and destruction of Albanian properties. Many of those expelled were directed onto trains apparently brought to Pristina's main station for the express purpose of deporting them to the border of the [[North Macedonia|Republic of Macedonia]], where they were forced into exile.<ref name="bbc_1999">{{cite news |publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]] (BBC) |title=Kosovo Albanians 'driven into history' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/310092.stm |access-date=1 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327041339/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/310092.stm |archive-date=27 March 2021 |date=1 April 1999 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The majority Albanian population fled Pristina in large numbers to escape Serb policy and paramilitary units. The first NATO troops to enter the city in early June 1999 were Norwegian special forces from FSK [[Forsvarets Spesialkommando]] and soldiers from the British [[Special Air Service]] 22 S.A.S,<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Norli |title=Krigere og diplomater |url=http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051&categoryId=&productId=1085065&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-101&langId=-101&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10651 |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307042943/http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay?catalogid=10051&categoryid=&errorviewname=productdisplayerrorview&langid=-101&parent_category_rn=&productid=1085065&storeid=10651&top_category=&urllangid=-101&urlrequesttype=base |archive-date=7 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=Norli |title=Tittel |url=http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051&categoryId=&productId=286391&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-101&langId=-101&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10651 |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051414/http://www.norli.no/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051&categoryId=&productId=286391&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-101&langId=-101&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10651 |archive-date=21 April 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> although to NATO's diplomatic embarrassment Russian troops arrived first at the airport. Apartments were occupied illegally and the Roma quarters behind the city park was torched. Several strategic targets in Pristina were attacked by [[NATO]] during the war, but serious physical damage appears to have largely been restricted to a few specific neighbourhoods shelled by Yugoslav security forces. At the end of the war the Serbs became victims of violence committed by Kosovo Albanian extremists. On numerous occasions Serbs were killed by mobs of Kosovo Albanian extremists for merely speaking Serbian in public or being identified as a Serb.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bird |first=Chris |work=[[The Guardian]] |title=Serbs shot in mob attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/30/balkans |access-date=17 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913052459/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/30/balkans |archive-date=13 September 2020 |date=30 November 1999 |url-status=live}}</ref> Violence reached its pinnacle in [[2004 unrest in Kosovo|2004]] when Kosovo Albanian extremists were moving from apartment block to apartment block attacking and [[looting|ransacking]] the residences of remaining Serbs.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |title=The Violence: Ethnic Albanian Attacks on Serbs and Roma |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/7.htm |access-date=17 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427155006/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/7.htm |archive-date=27 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A majority of the city's 45,000 Serb inhabitants fled from Kosovo and today only several dozen remain in the city.<ref name="euronews.net">{{cite web |publisher=[[Euronews]] |title=Serbs in Kosovo vote in Gracanica and Mitrovica |url=http://www.euronews.com/2008/02/03/serbs-in-kosovo-vote-in-gracanica-and-mitrovica/ |access-date=4 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808221934/https://www.euronews.com/2008/02/03/serbs-in-kosovo-vote-in-gracanica-and-mitrovica |archive-date=8 August 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Prishtina seen from Mother Theresa Cathedral.jpg|thumb|right|The city from the [[Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa, Pristina|Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa]].]]
As a capital city and seat of the UN administration ([[UNMIK]]), Pristina has benefited greatly from a high concentration of international staff with disposable income and international organizations with sizable budgets. The injection of reconstruction funds from donors, international organizations and the [[Albanian diaspora]] has fueled an unrivaled, yet short-lived, economic boom. A plethora of new cafes, restaurants and private businesses opened to cater for new (and international) demand with the beginning of a new era for Pristina.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
=== 21st century ===
[[Pristina International Airport]]'s new terminal opened for operations in October 2013, which was built in response to a growing demand for air travel in Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Limak Holding|Limak]] |title=New Terminal of Prishtina International Airport Adem Jashari Inaugurated |url=https://www.limak.com.tr/announcements/new-terminal-of-prishtina-international-airport-adem-jashari-inaugurated#:~:text=The%20whole%20project%2C%20value%20over,from%202%20to%205%20million. |access-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412070815/https://www.limak.com.tr/announcements/new-terminal-of-prishtina-international-airport-adem-jashari-inaugurated |archive-date=12 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> In November of the same year, the [[R 7 (Kosovo)|R7 motorway]] as part of the Albania-Kosovo motorway, linking Pristina and the Albanian city of [[Durrës]] on the [[Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast]], was completed.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Road Traffic Technology |title=Albania{{spaced ndash}}Kosovo Highway Project |url=https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/albaniakosovohighway/ |access-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127165303/https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/albaniakosovohighway/ |archive-date=27 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Another extensive development for the city has been the completion of the [[R 6 (Kosovo)|R6 motorway]] in 2019, connecting Pristina to North Macedonia's capital, [[Skopje]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Begisholli |first=Blerta |work=Balkan Insight |title=Kosovo{{spaced ndash}}North Macedonia Highway Opened With Fanfare |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2019/05/29/north-macedonia-kosovo-highway-opened-with-fanfare/ |access-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102141733/https://balkaninsight.com/2019/05/29/north-macedonia-kosovo-highway-opened-with-fanfare/ |archive-date=2 November 2021 |date=29 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== Geography ==
{{Further|Environmental issues in Pristina}}
[[File:Prishtina the capital city of Kosova.jpg|thumb|right|View of Pristina from the south.]]
Pristina is situated on a alluvial plain in the regions of [[Llap (region)|Llap]] and [[Kosovo field (Kosovo)|Kosovo]] across the [[Gollak|Gollak Hills]] in central and eastern Kosovo.<ref name="Environment">{{cite web |publisher=Komuna e Prishtinës |title=Plani Zhvillimor Komunal i Prishtinës 2012–2022 |url=https://prishtinaonline.com/uploads/prishtina_pzhk_2012-2022_shqip%20(1).pdf |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830214734/https://prishtinaonline.com/uploads/prishtina_pzhk_2012-2022_shqip%20(1).pdf |archive-date=30 August 2021 |pages=10–18 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> Bodies of water in Pristina Municipality include the lakes of [[Badovc Lake|Badovc]] and [[Batllava Lake|Batllava]] as well as the rivers of [[Llapi River|Llapi]], Prishtevka and Vellusha.<ref name="Environment"/> The park of [[Germia Park|Germia]] lies in the east of Pristina and extends in the north of the villages of Llukar and Kolovica to the south at [[Badovc Lake|Badovc]].
Pristina is one of the urban areas with the most severe water shortages in Kosovo.<ref name="balkaninsight">{{cite web |publisher=Balkan Insight |title=Winter Drought Threatens Kosovo Capital's Water |date=21 February 2014 |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-capital-faces-harsh-water-reductions |access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref> Its population have to cope with daily water curbs due to the lack of rain and snowfall, which has left Pristina's water supplies in a dreadful condition.<ref name="balkaninsight"/> The water supply comes from the two main reservoirs of [[Batllava Lake|Batllava]] and [[Badovc Lake|Badovc]].<ref name="balkaninsight" /> However, there are many problems with the water supply that comes from these two reservoirs which supply 92% of Pristina's population.<ref name="annual per">{{cite web|title=ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT OF WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS IN KOSOVO, IN 2012|url=http://www.wwro-ks.org/English/Publications/AnnualPerfor/RAPORTIMI_i_PERFORMANCES_2012.pdf|publisher=Water and Waste Regulatory Office|access-date=2 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306191507/http://www.wwro-ks.org/English/Publications/AnnualPerfor/RAPORTIMI_i_PERFORMANCES_2012.pdf|archive-date=6 March 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> As such, the authorities have increased their efforts to remedy the situation and to make sure that such crises do not hit the city again.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zogjani|first=Nektar|title=Uji Për Prishtinën Në Dorë Të Zotit|url=http://www.gazetajnk.com/?cid=1,1018,7309|publisher=Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë|access-date=2 March 2014|date=2014-01-08}}</ref>
=== Climate ===
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Pristina falls under the periphery of the [[Oceanic climate]] (Cfb) zone with an average annual temperature of {{cvt|10.6|C}}.<ref name="Climate-data">{{cite web |publisher=Climate-Data |title=Climate: Pristina |url=https://en.climate-data.org/europe/republic-of-kosovo/prishtina/prishtina-912068/ |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002154459/https://en.climate-data.org/europe/republic-of-kosovo/prishtina/prishtina-912068/ |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The warmest month in Pristina is August with an average temperature rising to {{cvt|21.8|C}}, while the coldest month is January with an average temperature falling to {{cvt|-0.6|C}}.<ref name="Climate-data"/> Pristina has a moderate climate with an average of 2909.69 hours of sunshine annually.<ref name="Climate-data"/> July is the sunniest month of the year with an average of about 11.5 hours of sunshine a day and by contrast, the average hours of sunshine are less than 4.5 hours per day in January.<ref name="Climate-data"/>
{{Weather box
| name = Climate of Pristina
| width = auto
| collapsed = y
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location = Pristina (1961–1990)
| Jan record high C = 15.8
| Feb record high C = 20.2
| Mar record high C = 26.0
| Apr record high C = 29.0
| May record high C = 32.3
| Jun record high C = 36.3
| Jul record high C = 39.2
| Aug record high C = 36.8
| Sep record high C = 34.4
| Oct record high C = 29.3
| Nov record high C = 22.0
| Dec record high C = 15.6
| year record high C = 39.2
| Jan high C = 2.4
| Feb high C = 5.5
| Mar high C = 10.5
| Apr high C = 15.7
| May high C = 20.7
| Jun high C = 23.9
| Jul high C = 26.4
| Aug high C = 26.7
| Sep high C = 23.1
| Oct high C = 17.1
| Nov high C = 10.1
| Dec high C = 4.1
| year high C = 15.5
| Jan mean C = -1.3
| Feb mean C = 1.1
| Mar mean C = 5.0
| Apr mean C = 9.9
| May mean C = 14.7
| Jun mean C = 17.8
| Jul mean C = 19.7
| Aug mean C = 19.5
| Sep mean C = 15.9
| Oct mean C = 10.6
| Nov mean C = 5.1
| Dec mean C = 0.4
| year mean C = 9.8
| Jan low C = -4.9
| Feb low C = -2.8
| Mar low C = 0.2
| Apr low C = 4.2
| May low C = 8.5
| Jun low C = 11.4
| Jul low C = 12.5
| Aug low C = 12.3
| Sep low C = 9.4
| Oct low C = 5.0
| Nov low C = 0.9
| Dec low C = -3.1
| year low C = 4.4
| Jan record low C = -27.2
| Feb record low C = -24.5
| Mar record low C = -14.2
| Apr record low C = -5.3
| May record low C = -1.8
| Jun record low C = 0.5
| Jul record low C = 3.9
| Aug record low C = 4.4
| Sep record low C = -4.0
| Oct record low C = -8.0
| Nov record low C = -17.6
| Dec record low C = -20.6
| year record low C = -27.2
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 38.9
| Feb precipitation mm = 36.1
| Mar precipitation mm = 38.8
| Apr precipitation mm = 48.8
| May precipitation mm = 68.2
| Jun precipitation mm = 60.3
| Jul precipitation mm = 51.6
| Aug precipitation mm = 44.0
| Sep precipitation mm = 42.1
| Oct precipitation mm = 45.4
| Nov precipitation mm = 68.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 55.5
| year precipitation mm = 597.9
| Jan humidity = 83
| Feb humidity = 77
| Mar humidity = 70
| Apr humidity = 65
| May humidity = 67
| Jun humidity = 67
| Jul humidity = 63
| Aug humidity = 62
| Sep humidity = 68
| Oct humidity = 74
| Nov humidity = 80
| Dec humidity = 83
| year humidity = 71
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 13.6
| Feb precipitation days = 12.3
| Mar precipitation days = 11.4
| Apr precipitation days = 12.1
| May precipitation days = 12.8
| Jun precipitation days = 11.9
| Jul precipitation days = 8.3
| Aug precipitation days = 7.9
| Sep precipitation days = 7.5
| Oct precipitation days = 8.6
| Nov precipitation days = 12.3
| Dec precipitation days = 14.5
| year precipitation days = 133.2
| Jan snow days = 10.2
| Feb snow days = 8.3
| Mar snow days = 6.2
| Apr snow days = 1.5
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.5
| Nov snow days = 3.4
| Dec snow days = 8.1
| year snow days = 38.2
| Jan sun = 70.8
| Feb sun = 96.0
| Mar sun = 143.0
| Apr sun = 184.0
| May sun = 227.9
| Jun sun = 246.3
| Jul sun = 299.3
| Aug sun = 289.6
| Sep sun = 225.8
| Oct sun = 173.5
| Nov sun = 96.9
| Dec sun = 70.2
| year sun = 2123.3
| source = [[Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia]]<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia]] |title=Pristina: Monthly and annual means, maximum and minimum values of meteorological elements for the period 1961–1990 |url=http://www.hidmet.gov.rs/eng/meteorologija/stanica_sr.php?moss_id=13481 |access-date=9 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728154013/http://www.hidmet.gov.rs/eng/meteorologija/stanica_sr.php?moss_id=13481 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
== Politics ==
{{Main|Politics in Pristina}}
[[File:Lulzim Makolli Skenderbeu VS Qeveria 2.jpg|thumb|right|View of the government building of Kosovo and the Skanderbeg Monument at the [[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Square]].]]
Pristina is the capital city of [[Kosovo]] and plays an instrumental role in shaping the political and economic life of the country.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Kosovës |title=Ligji Nr. 06/L-012 për Kryeqytetin e Republikës së Kosovës, Prishtinën |url=https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=16506 |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924130927/https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=16506 |archive-date=24 September 2020 |language=sq |date=6 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is the location of the [[Parliament of Kosovo]] headquartered at the Mother Teresa Square and the official residence and workplace of the [[President of Kosovo|President]] and [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo|Kuvendi Kosovës]] |title=The Assembly Building |url=https://www.kuvendikosoves.org/eng/about-the-assembly/the-assembly-building/ |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003103253/https://www.kuvendikosoves.org/eng/about-the-assembly/the-assembly-building/ |archive-date=3 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Pristina is also home to Kosovo's [[Constitutional Court of Kosovo|Constitutional Court]], [[Supreme Court of Kosovo|Supreme Court]] and [[Judiciary of Kosovo#The Court of Appeals|Appeal Court]] as well as the [[Judiciary of Kosovo#Seven basic courts and court branches|Basic Court of Pristina]].
Pristina is a [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] governed by a [[Mayor–council government|mayor–council system]] with the mayor of Pristina and the members of the Pristina Municipal Council responsible for the administration of Pristina Municipality. The municipality is encompassed in [[District of Pristina|Pristina District]] and consists of 43 adjacent settlements with Pristina as its seat.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Kosovës |title=Ligji Nr. 03/L-041 për kufijtë Administrativ të Komunave |url=https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=2518 |access-date=27 May 2021 |pages=3–21 |language=sq }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] (UNMIK) |title=Rregullore Nr. 2000/43 Mbi Numrin, Emrat dhe Kufinjtë e Komunave |url=http://www.unmikonline.org/regulations/unmikgazette/03albanian/A2000regs/RA2000_43.htm |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213142841/http://www.unmikonline.org/regulations/unmikgazette/03albanian/A2000regs/RA2000_43.htm |archive-date=13 December 2017 |date=22 July 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) |title=Statistikat e Përgjithshme: Kosova në Shifra 2020 |url=https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/6298/kosova-n%C3%AB-shifra-2020.pdf |access-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004113747/https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/6298/kosova-n%C3%AB-shifra-2020.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2021 |page=12 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> The mayor of Pristina is elected by the people to act as the chief executive officer of Pristina Municipality.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Pristina Municipality |title=Kryetari: Përgjegjësitë e Kryetarit të Komunës |url=https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pergjegjesite-e-kryetarit-te-komunes/ |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003103739/https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pergjegjesite-e-kryetarit-te-komunes/ |archive-date=3 October 2021 |language=sq |date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Pristina Municipal Council is the legislative arm of the municipality and is also a democratically elected institution, comprising 51 councillors since the latest municipal election.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Pristina Municipality |title=Kuvëndi: Përshkrimi |url=https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pershkrimi/ |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003104141/https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtine/pershkrimi/ |archive-date=3 October 2021 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref>
== Economy ==
{{See also|Tourism in Pristina}}
[[File:Prishtina nga Katedrala 1.jpg|thumb|right|Pristina is home to the largest companies of Kosovo.]]
Pristina constitutes the heart of the [[economy of Kosovo]] and of vital importance to the country's stability. The [[tertiary sector]] is the most important for the [[economy]] of the city and employs more than 75% of work force of Pristina.<ref name="Economy">{{cite web |title=Bizneset dhe rrethina e biznesit |url=https://kk-arkiva.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Ekonomi-dhe-Zhvillim-Lokal/Ekonomia.aspx |website=kk-arkiva.rks-gov.net |language=sq}}</ref> 20% of the working population makes up the [[secondary sector]] followed by the [[primary sector]] with only 5%.<ref name="Economy"/>
Pristina is the primary tourist destination in [[Kosovo]] as well as the main air gateway to the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourist-destinations.com/2012/08/kosovo-travel-guide-and-travel-info.html|title=Kosovo|author=+Jugoslav Spasevski|work=Tourist Destinations|date=10 August 2012 |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> It is known as a university center of students from neighbouring countries as [[Albania]], [[Republic of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]], [[Montenegro]] and Serbia. In 2012, Tourism in [[Tourism in Kosovo|Pristina]] attracted around 100,000 foreign visitors.<ref>{{cite web | title=Hotel Statistics in Q3 2013 (Alb. Statistikat e hotelierisë TM3 2013) | page=9 | url=http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | year=2013 | publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics | access-date=2014-03-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302190730/http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | archive-date=2014-03-02 | url-status=dead }}</ref> which represents 74.2%.<ref>{{cite web | title=Kosovo Agency of Statistics, 'Hotel Statistics in Q3 2013' | page=9 | url=http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | year=2013 | publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics | access-date=2014-03-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302190730/http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | archive-date=2014-03-02 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Most foreign tourists come from [[Albania]], [[Turkey]], [[Germany]], [[United States]], [[Slovenia]], [[Montenegro]], [[Republic of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]], with the number of visitors from elsewhere growing every year.<ref>{{cite web | title=Kosovo Agency of Statistics, 'Statistikat e hotelierisë TM3 2013' | page=13 | url=http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | year=2013 | publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics | access-date=2014-03-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302190730/http://esk.rks-gov.net/dmdocuments/Staistikat%20e%20Hotelerise%20TM3-2013.pdf | archive-date=2014-03-02 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Hot Uni.jpg|thumb|[[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Square]] of Pristina in during the summer]]
The city has a large number of luxury hotels, modern restaurants, bars, pubs and very large nightclubs. Coffee bars are a representative icon of Pristina and they can be found almost everywhere. The largest hotels of the city are the [[Swiss Diamond Prishtina|Swiss Diamond]] and the [[Grand Hotel Prishtina]] situated in the heart of the city. Other major hotels present in Pristina include the Emerald Hotel, Sirius Hotel and Hotel Garden.
Some of the most visited sights near the city include the [[Batllava Lake]] and [[Marble Cave, Kosovo|Marble Cave]], which are also among the most visited places in country.<ref>{{cite web| title=12 thousand foreign tourists visited Kosovo (alb. 12 mijë turistë të huaj e vizituan Kosovën)| url=http://www.fermaime.com/?id=14&l=1001| year=2013| access-date=2014-03-06| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055526/http://www.fermaime.com/?id=14&l=1001| archive-date=2018-12-03| url-status=dead}}</ref> Pristina has played a very important role during the World War II, being a shelter for Jews, whose cemeteries now can be visited.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Kosovo.html|title=Kosovo Virtual Jewish History Tour|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/24/kosovo-jewish-cemetery-restored-university-students_n_884244.html#s297878|title=Kosovo's Jewish Cemetery Restored By University Students (PHOTOS)|work=The Huffington Post|date=24 June 2011 |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref><ref>Material Culture and the history of the city of Prishtina (Alb. Kultura materiale dhe historia e qytetit të Prishtinës), [http://www.yllpress.com/12452/kultura-materiale-dhe-historia-e-qytetit-te-prishtines.html]</ref>
== Infrastructure ==
=== Transport ===
{{Main|Transport in Pristina}}
[[File:Prishtina International Airport "Adem Jashari" Limak Kosovo.jpg|230px|thumb|right|The terminal of [[Pristina International Airport|Adem Jashari International Airport]].]]
Pristina constitutes the [[economic]] and [[financial]] heart of Kosovo, in part due to its high population, modern [[infrastructure]] and [[Geography of Kosovo|geographical location]] in the center of the country. Following the [[independence of Kosovo]], the city has undergone significant improvements and developments vastly modernising and expanding the [[economy]], infrastructure and most notably [[transportation]] by [[Air transport|air]], [[Rail transport|rail]] and [[Road transport|road]].<ref>[http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Projects/Buxheti/Infrastrukture.aspx Komuna e Prishtinës: Investime të mëdha në infrastrukturë] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727162721/http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Projects/Buxheti/Infrastrukture.aspx |date=2010-07-27 }}.</ref>
Pristina is the most important and frequent road junction of Kosovo as all of the major [[Controlled-access highway|expressways]] and [[motorway]]s passes through the city limits. Most of the [[Motorways in Kosovo|motorways of Kosovo]] are largely completed and partially under construction or under planning process. Immediately after completion, Pristina will provide direct access to [[Skopje]] through the [[R 6 (Kosovo)|R6 motorway]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ROUTE 6: HIGHWAY PRISHTINA - SKOPJE |url=http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |website=kfos.org |pages=29–35 |language=en |date=2015 |access-date=2019-01-02 |archive-date=2016-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322043415/http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[R 7 (Kosovo)|R7 motorway]] significantly connects [[Durrës]] with Prishtina and will have near future a direct connection to the [[Pan-European corridor X]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ROUTE 6: HIGHWAY PRISHTINA - SKOPJE |url=http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |website=kfos.org |pages=13–28 |language=en |date=2015 |access-date=2019-01-02 |archive-date=2016-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322043415/http://kfos.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/8.-AUTO-ROUTE-6-HIGHWAY-PRISHTINA-SKOPE.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[Pristina International Airport]] serves as the premier gateway to the country and carries almost 2 million passengers per year with connections to many destinations around different countries and cities of [[Europe]] with the most frequent routes to [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]] as well as to [[Slovenia]], [[Turkey]] and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Civil Aviation Authority of Kosovo]] |title=Statistics on passengers and flights at PIA Adem Jashari 2016 |url=http://caa-ks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Statistikat-e-udhetareve-2016-8.pdf |website=caa-ks.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205100130/http://caa-ks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Statistikat-e-udhetareve-2016-8.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2017 |page=7 |language=en |date=2 January 2019}}</ref>
Pristina is the transport hub of road, rail and air in Kosovo. The [[Trafiku Urban|city's buses]], trains and planes together all serve to maintain a high level of connectivity between Pristina many different districts and beyond. Analysis from the Traffic Police have shown that, of 240,000 cars registered in Kosovo, around 100,000 (41%) are from the region of Pristina. {{citation needed|date=March 2018}} The [[Pristina railway station]] is located near the city center.
Pristina effectively has two train stations. Pristina railway station lies west of the center, while [[Fushë Kosovë railway station]] is Kosovo's railway hub.<ref name="inyourpocket2">{{cite web|url=http://www.inyourpocket.com/kosovo/pristina/arrival-transport/trains|title=Trains - Arrival & Transport in Pristina - In Your Pocket city guide - essential travel guides to cities in Kosovo|publisher=inyourpocket.com|access-date=2014-03-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302175702/http://www.inyourpocket.com/kosovo/pristina/arrival-transport/trains|archive-date=2014-03-02}}</ref>
Pristina is serviced by a train that travels through Pristina to [[Skopje]] daily. The station is located in the industrial section of Pristina.
{{Clear}}
=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Pristina}}
[[File:National Library of Kosovo photo Arben Llapashtica.jpg|thumb|[[Bird's-eye view|Bird's-eye-view]] of the [[National Library of Kosovo]]]]
Pristina is the center of [[education]] in the country and home to many public and private primary and secondary schools, colleges, academies and universities, located in different areas across the city. The [[University of Pristina]] is the largest and oldest university of the city and was established in the 20th century.
Finance, arts, journalism, medicine, dentistry, pharmaceuticals, veterinary programs, and engineering are among the most popular fields for foreigners to undertake in the city. This brings a many of young students from other cities and countries to Pristina. It is known for its many educational institutions such as University of Pristina, [[Universiteti i Prishtinës Faculty of Arts|University of Pristina Faculty of Arts]] and the [[Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo]].
Among the first schools known in the city were those opened during the Ottoman period.<ref name="history-culture-refworld">[http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a80c0.html "The History, Culture and Identity of Albanians in Kosovo"], Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, ''The History, Culture and Identity of Albanians in Kosovo'', 1 May 1997, accessed 23 February 2014.</ref> Albanians were allowed to attend these schools, most of which were religious, with only few of them being secular.<ref name="history-culture-refworld" />
The city has numerous [[libraries]], many of which contain vast collections of historic and cultural documents. The most important library in terms of historic document collections is the [[National Library of Kosovo]].{{Clear}}
== Demography ==
{{Main|Demographics of Pristina|l1=Demography of Pristina}}
{{Historical populations
|title = Population history of Pristina Municipality
|align = right
|direction = horizontal
|percentages = pagr
| 1948 | 44,089
| 1953 | 51,457
| 1961 | 69,810
| 1971 | 105,273
| 1981 | 148,656
| 1991 | 199,654
| 2011 | 198,897
| 2021 | 218,782
| source = <ref>{{cite web |publisher=Population statistics of Eastern Europe and former USSR |title=Division of Kosovo |url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kosovo-division.htm |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002163533/http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kosovo-division.htm |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
According to the [[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) estimate from the 2011 census, there were 198,897 people residing in Pristina Municipality, representing the [[List of cities and towns in Kosovo|most populous city]] and [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] of Kosovo.<ref name="Census 2011"/> The urban population of Pristina Municipality was approximately 160,000, while the rural population was around 37,000.<ref name="Census 2011"/> With a population density of 380,3 people per square kilometre, Pristina is the third most densely populated municipality of Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) |title=Kosovo Census Atlas |url=https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2009/kosovo-census-atlas-2011.pdf |access-date=7 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517072507/https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2009/kosovo-census-atlas-2011.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2021 |page=10 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In terms of ethnicity, Pristina's inhabitants were 97.77% [[Albanians|Albanian]], 1.08% [[Turkish people|Turkish]], 0.28% [[Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians|Ashkali]], 0.22% [[Serbs|Serbian]], 0.2% [[Bosniaks|Bosniak]], 0.1% [[Gorani people|Gorani]] and 0.03% [[Romani people|Romani]].<ref name="2011 Census Ethnicity and Language">{{cite web |publisher=[[Kosovo Agency of Statistics]] (KAS) |title=Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave në Kosovë 2011–Rezultatet përfundimtare |url=https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2074/te-dhenat-kryesore.pdf |access-date=2 October 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110085827/https://ask.rks-gov.net/media/2074/te-dhenat-kryesore.pdf |archive-date=10 January 2020 |pages=143–149 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> By language, 98.09% spoke [[Albanian language|Albanian]] as a first language. Other spoken languages in Pristina Municipality were [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (1.04%), [[Serbian language|Serbian]] (0.25%) and [[Romani language|Romani]] (0.03%).<ref name="2011 Census Ethnicity and Language"/> By religion, there were 193,474 (97.27%) [[Islam|Muslims]], 1,170 (0.59%) [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholics]], 480 (0.24%) [[Eastern orthodoxy|Orthodox]], 344 (0.17%) of other religions and 660 (0.33%) [[irreligious]].<ref name="2011 Census Ethnicity and Language"/><ref name="Religion 2011">{{cite web |title=Religious composition of Kosovo 2011 |url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kosovo-religion-loc2011.htm |website=pop-stat.mashke.org |language=sq}}</ref>
Kosovo is a [[secular state]] with no [[state religion]]. The freedom of [[freedom of belief|belief]], [[Freedom of conscience|conscience]] and [[Freedom of religion|religion]] is explicitly guaranteed in the [[Constitution of Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo |url=http://www.kryeministri-ks.net/repository/docs/Constitution1Kosovo.pdf |website=kryeministri-ks.net |page=17 |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=KOSOVO 2017 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT |url=https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/281166.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529205635/https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/281166.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-05-29 |website=state.gov |language=en }}</ref> [[Islam]] and [[Christianity]] are the most widely practiced religions among the people of Pristina. The remaining 1.9% of the population reported having no religion, or another religion, or did not provide an adequate answer.<ref name="Religion 2011"/> Pristina has centres of worship for a multitude of faiths for its population. The [[Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa, Pristina|Cathedral of Pristina]] is perhaps the largest [[cathedral]] in Kosovo and is named in honour of the [[Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia|Albanian]] [[Roman Catholic]] nun and missionary, [[Mother Teresa]]. Some of the [[mosque]]s of Pristina, among others the [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Imperial Mosque]] and [[Çarshi Mosque]], are centuries old and were built during the [[Middle Ages]] by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]].
{{multiple image
| align = center
| total_width = 700
| image_style = border:none;
| image1 = The Great Mosque in Prishtina.JPG
| caption1 = [[Imperial Mosque (Pristina)|Great Mosque]]
| image2 = Pamje e katedrales.jpg
| caption2 = [[Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa]]
| image3 = Carshi Mosque in Pristina.JPG
| caption3 = [[Çarshi Mosque]]
| image4 = Christ the Savior Cathedral in Pristina, 9 February 2014.jpg
| caption4 = [[Church of Christ the Saviour, Pristina|Christ the Saviour Church]]
| header = Religious buildings in Pristina
| image5 = Llap Mosque, Pristina.JPG
| caption5 = [[Llapi Mosque]]
}}
{{Clear}}
== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture in Pristina}}
{{See also|Historical monuments in Pristina}}
[[File:Muzeu i Kosovës.JPG|230px|thumb|right|The [[Kosovo Museum]] is the earliest institution of cultural heritage in Kosovo, established with the goal of preserving, restoration-conservation and presentation of movable heritage on the territory.]]
As the capital city of the [[Republic of Kosovo (2008)|Republic of Kosovo]], it is the center of cultural and artistic development of all [[Albanians]] that live in [[Kosovo]]. Pristina is home to the largest cultural institutions of the country, such as the [[National Theatre of Kosovo]], [[Kosovo Museum|National Archaeology, Ethnography and Natural science Museum]], [[Kosova National Art Gallery|National Art Gallery]] and the [[Ethnological Museum, Pristina|Ethnological Museum]]. The [[National Library of Kosovo]] has more than 1.8 million books, periodicals, maps, atlases, microfilms and other library materials.
There are many foreign cultural institutions in Pristina, including the Albanian [[Albanological Institute of Pristina|Albanological Institute]], the French [[Alliance Française]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.af-pristina.com/|title=Alliance Française de Prishtina|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> the [[British Council]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kosovo.britishcouncil.org/en|title=British Council - Kosovo|website=kosovo.britishcouncil.org|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref>
and the German [[Goethe-Institut]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slzprishtina.org/haus/menu/prufungen/goethe-institut/|title=Sprachlernzentrum in Prishtina|website=www.slzprishtina.org|access-date=28 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525233359/http://slzprishtina.org/haus/menu/prufungen/goethe-institut/|archive-date=25 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Friedrich Ebert Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fes-prishtina.org/wb/pages/english/home.php|title=Welcome, Office Prishtina, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. - Home|website=www.fes-prishtina.org|access-date=28 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626142423/http://www.fes-prishtina.org/wb/pages/english/home.php|archive-date=26 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Information Office of the [[Council of Europe]] was also established in Pristina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/pristina/home|title=Home|website=Council of Europe Office in Pristina|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Hyjnesha ne fron.JPG|140px|thumb|left|The [[Goddess on the Throne]] is one of the most precious archaeological artifacts of the country and has been adopted as the symbol of Pristina.]]
{{multiple image
|align = right
|total_width = 240
|image1 = Clock Tower-Sahat Kulla.JPG
|width1 = 222 |height1 =
|image2 = Ethnographic_Museum_in_Prishtina.jpg
|width2 = 502 |height2 =
|footer = The [[Clock Tower of Pristina|Clock Tower]] served as a means of informing the town in order to let people know when to pray as well as the traders closing their shops. <small>'''(left)'''</small> The [[Ethnological Museum, Pristina|Ethnological Museum]]. <small>'''(right)'''</small>}}
Of 426 protected historical monuments in [[Kosovo]], 21 are in Pristina.<ref name=KSI.9>{{cite web|title=Një e ardhme për të kaluarën e Pishtinës|url=http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_future_of_pristina%20booklet_albanian.pdf|publisher=Kosova Stability Initiative, European Stability Initiative|access-date=23 February 2014|page=9|language=sq}}</ref>
A large number of these monuments date back to the [[Byzantine]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] periods.<ref name="Kulla.jeta">{{cite web |last=Limani |first=Jeta |title=Kulla of Mazrekaj family in Dranoc |url= http://www.lth.se/fileadmin/hdm/alumni/papers/CMHB_2007/Kosova___Jeta_Limani_-_Kulla_of_Mazrekaj_Family.pdf |page=2}}</ref>
Starting in 1945, the [[Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] authorities began constructing a modern Pristina with the idea of "destroy the old, build the new".<ref name=K.3>{{cite book|last=Warrander|first=Gail|title=Kosovo|publisher=[[Bradt Travel Guides]] Ltd., UK|isbn=978-1-84162-331-3|pages=3|url=http://www.bradtguides.com/|author2=Verena Knaus|year=2010}}</ref> This modernization led to major changes in the structure of the buildings, their function and their surrounding environment.<ref name="coe.3">{{cite web |title=CONSERVATION BASIS FOR THE "HISTORIC CENTRE" OF PRISHTINË |url= http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/cooperation/kosovo/publications/20130129-PristinaCS.pdf |page=3 |language=en, sq, sr |date=December 2012}}</ref>
However, numerous types of monuments have been preserved, including four mosques, a restored orthodox church, an [[Turkish bath|Ottoman bath]], a public fountain, a [[Clock Tower of Pristina|clock tower]], several traditional houses as well as European-influenced architecture buildings such as Kosovo Museum.<ref name="coe.16">{{cite web |title=Conservation Basis for the "historic Centre" of Prishtinë |language=en, sq, sr |page=16 |url= http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/cooperation/kosovo/publications/20130129-PristinaCS.pdf |date=December 2012}}</ref> These symbolize the historical and cultural character of Pristina as it was developed throughout centuries in the spirit of conquering empires ([[Roman Empire|Roman]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]], [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]]).<ref name="Kulla.jeta"/>
The ''Hivzi Sylejmani'' library was founded 70 years ago and it is one of the largest libraries regarding the number of books in its inventory which is nearly 100.000. All of those books are in service for the library's registered readers.<ref name="Municipality of Prishtina">[http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Kulture.aspx Letërnjoftim i shkurtër për kulturën e kryeqytetit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405061301/https://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Kulture.aspx |date=2015-04-05 }} Short notice of capital culture. Retrieved 25 February 2014.</ref>{{failed verification|date=March 2018}}
The ''Mbretëresha e Dardanisë'' ''(Queen of Dardania)'' or ''Hyjnesha ne Fron'' ''(The Goddess on the Throne)'' is an artifact that was found during some excavations in 1955<ref>[http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=en&id=178 'Tjerrtorja' Archaeological Site (listed since 1955).] Retrieved 1 March 2014</ref> in the area of [[Ulpiana]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Roman army as a community|first1=Adrian Keith|last1=Goldsworthy|first2=Ian|last2=Haynes|first3=Colin E. P.|last3=Adams|isbn=1887829342|year=1997|publisher= Journal of Roman Archaeology|page=100}} Retrieved 2 March 2014.</ref> a suburb of Pristina. It dates back to [[35th century BC|3500 BC]] in the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Era]] and it is made of clay.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130407182037/http://www.balkanweb.com/kultur%EB/2691/idhulli-i-dardanise-apo-hyjnesha-ne-fron-56278.html Idhulli i Dardanisë apo Hyjnesha në fron] Dardanian idol or Goddess on the Throne. Retrieved 22 February 2014.</ref> In Pristina there is also "Hamami i Qytetit" (The City Bath) and the house of Emin Gjika which has been transformed to the Ethnographic Museum. Pristina also has its municipal archive which was established in the 1950s and holds all the records of the city, municipality and the [[District of Pristina|region]].<ref name="Municipality of Prishtina" />
{{clear}}
=== Media ===
{{Main|Media in Pristina}}
Media in Pristina include some of the most important newspapers, largest publishing houses and most prolific television studios of Kosovo. Pristina is the largest communications center of media in [[Kosovo]]. Almost all of the major media organizations in Kosovo are based in Pristina.<ref name="Kosovo Media Institute">[http://www.mc.rs/upload/documents/razno/KMI_e-directory-media.pdf Kosovo Media Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717183241/http://www.mc.rs/upload/documents/razno/KMI_e-directory-media.pdf|date=2019-07-17}} Major media organizations in Kosovo and their addresses.</ref> The television industry developed in Pristina and is a significant employer in the city's economy. The four major broadcast networks, [[Radio Television of Kosovo|RTK]], [[RTV21]], [[Kohavision|KTV]] and KLAN KOSOVA are all headquartered in Pristina.
[[Radio Television of Kosovo]] (RTK) is the only public broadcaster both in Pristina and in all of Kosovo as well, who continues to be financed directly by the state. All of the daily newspapers in Pristina have a readership throughout Kosovo.<ref name="OSCE">{{cite web |title=OSCE |url=http://www.osce.org/kosovo |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> An important event which affected the development of the media, is that in [[Universiteti i Prishtinës|University of Pristina]] since 2005 is established the Journalism Faculty within the Faculty of Philology in which are registered a large number of youth people.<ref name="Fakulteti i Filologjisë - Ballina">{{cite web |title=Fakulteti i Filologjisë - Ballina |url=http://filologjia.uni-pr.edu/ |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref>
===Music===
{{further|Music composition and composers in Pristina}}
[[File:Rita_Ora_(cropped).jpg|170px|thumb|right|Singer [[Rita Ora]] was born in Pristina to [[Kosovo Albanians|Albanian]] parents. ]]
[[Albanian music]] is considered to be very rich in genres and their development. But before talking about genre development, a key point that has to be mentioned is without doubt the rich [[Music of Kosovo|folklore]] of Kosovo most of which unfortunately has not been digitalized and saved in archives. The importance of folklore is reflected in two main keys, it is considered a treasure" of cultural heritage of our country and it helps to enlighten the [[Albanian history]] of that time, and the importance of that is of a high level especially when mentioning the circumstances of our territory in that time.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rudi|first=Rafet|title=Sprova Estetike - Muzika e shekullit XX (''Esthetical Challenges" - Music of the 20th Century'')|year=2002|publisher=Dukagjini|page=135}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shqiperia.com/Folklori-dhe-folkloristika.360/ |title=Portali Shqiperia}}</ref> Folklore has also served as inspiration and influence in many fields including music composition in the next generations<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gazetajnk.com/?cid=1,3,4787/|title=Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë - Kosovë - Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë|work=Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë}}</ref> One of the most notable and very first composers, [[Rexho Mulliqi]] in whose work, folklore inspiration and influence is very present.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/21806/rexho-mulliqi-nismetar-i-muzikes-artistike-ne-kosove|title=Zeri.info - Rexho Mulliqi- Nismëtar i muzikës artistike në Kosovë|work=zeri.info|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302174028/http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/21806/rexho-mulliqi-nismetar-i-muzikes-artistike-ne-kosove|archive-date=2014-03-02}}</ref>
When highlighting the music creativity and its starts in Kosovo and the relation between it and the music creativity in Albania even though they have had their development in different circumstances, it is proved that they share some characteristics in a very natural way. This fact shows that they belong to one "Cultural Tree".
Some of few international music artists of Albanian heritage that were born or their families were from Pristina are [[Rita Ora]], [[Dua Lipa]] and [[Era Istrefi]].
=== Theater ===
{{Main|Theatres in Pristina}}[[File:PRISHTINE KOSOVE (4).jpg|thumb|The [[National Theatre of Kosovo|National Theater of Kosovo]], lies in the city center on the [[Skanderbeg Square, Pristina|Skanderbeg Square]]]]The city of Pristina hosts only three active theatres such as the [[National Theater of Kosovo|National Theater]], Oda and Dodona Theatre placed in center of Pristina. They offers live performances every week. The National Theatre is placed in the middle downtown of the city, near the main government building and was founded in 1946.<ref>{{cite web|title= The National theatre of Kosovo | website=[[TheGuardian.com]]| url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/jun/22/unrestricted-views-national-theatre-kosovo}}</ref> ODA Theatre is situated in the Youth Center Building and Dodona Theatre is found in Vellusha district, which is near Ibrahim Rugova Square.
The [[National Theatre of Kosovo|National Theater of Kosovo]] is the highest-ranked theater institution in the country and has the largest number of productions. The theater is the only public theater in [[Kosovo]] and therefore it is financed by Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. This theater has produced more than 400 premieres which have been watched by more than 3 million spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mkrs-ks.org/?page=1,134|title=Profili|access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref>
=== Festivals ===
{{Main|Events and festivals in Pristina}}
{{See also|Fairs in Pristina}}
[[File:Peter_Donohoe_plays_in_%27Diar_Hall%27_2013.jpg|230px|right|thumb|[[Peter Donohoe (pianist)|Peter Donohoe]] playing piano in Pristina in 2013.]]
The [[Prishtina International Film Festival]] screens prominent international cinema productions in the [[Balkans|Balkan region]] and beyond, and draws attention to the Kosovar [[film industry]]. It was created after the [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence]]. After its [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|independence in 2008]], [[Kosovo]] looked for ways to promote its cultural and artistic image.
One of major festivals include the Chopin Piano Fest Pristina that was established for the first time on the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary of [[Frédéric Chopin]] in 2010 by the Kosovo Chopin Association.<ref name="Wordpress">{{cite web|last=Luzha|first=Besa|title=Chopin Piano Fest Prishtina|url=http://chopinkosova.com/|publisher=WordPress|access-date=2014-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110103010/http://chopinkosova.com/|archive-date=2014-01-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> The festival is becoming a traditional piano festival held in spring every year. It is considered to be a national treasure.<ref name="Selmani">{{cite web|last=Selmani|first=Arber|title='Chopin Fest' eshte pasuri shteterore|url=http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/4084/pula-chopin-fest-eshte-pasuri-shteterore|access-date=2014-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302144418/http://www.zeri.info/artikulli/4084/pula-chopin-fest-eshte-pasuri-shteterore|archive-date=2014-03-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> In its 5 years of formation it has offered interpretations by both world-famous pianists such as [[Peter Donohoe (pianist)|Peter Donohoe]], [[Janina Fialkowska]], Kosovo-Albanian musicians of international renown like [[Classical music in Kosovo|Ardita Statovci]], Alberta Troni and local talents.<ref name="Verdi">{{cite web|title="Chopin Piano Fest", në kujtim të Verdit|url=http://www.koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,5,141223|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302144355/http://www.koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,5,141223|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-03-02|publisher=Koha Net|access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref><ref name="Selmani" /> The Festival strives to promote the art of interpretation, the proper value of music and the technicalities that accompany it.<ref name="Selmani" /> The Festival has served as inspiration for the formation of other music festivals like Remusica and Kamerfest.<ref name="Verdi" />
The [[DAM Festival Pristina]] is one of the most prominent cultural events taking place in the capital. It is an annual music festival which gathers young and talented national and international musicians from all over the world. This festival works on enriching the Kosovar cultural scene with the collision of the traditional and the contemporary. The festival was founded by musician [[Dardan Selimaj]].<ref name=Consti>{{cite web|title=DAM Festival-KadMusArts|url=http://kadmusarts.com/festivals/1857.html|access-date=2014-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302202213/http://kadmusarts.com/festivals/1857.html|archive-date=2014-03-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Clear}}
=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Pristina}}
[[File:Street-eu3.jpg|230px|thumb|right|[[Streetball Kosova|Streetballers]] at the [[Germia Park]]]]
Pristina is the center of sport in [[Kosovo]], where activity is organized across amateur and professional levels, sport organizations and clubs, regulated by the [[Kosovo Olympic Committee]] and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.<ref name="shega">{{cite web|title=Departamenti i Sportit:Profili|url=http://www.mkrs-ks.org/?page=1,48|access-date=1 March 2014}}</ref> Sport is organized in units called Municipal Leagues. There are seven Municipal Leagues in Pristina. The Football Municipal consists of 18 clubs, the Basketball Municipal 5 clubs, the Handball Municipal 2 clubs, Table Tennis and Chess 6 clubs each, the Karate Municipal 15 and the Tennis Municipal 2 clubs.<ref name="ministria">{{cite web|title=Sport|url=http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Sport.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128062509/http://kk.rks-gov.net/prishtina/Municipality/Departments/Kultures,Rinise,Sportit/Sport.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 November 2010|access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref>
Football is the most popular sport in the city. It is represented by [[FC Prishtina]], which plays their home games in the [[Fadil Vokrri Stadium]]. [[Basketball]] has been also one of the most popular sports in Pristina and is represented by [[KB Prishtina]]. It is the most successful basketball club in Kosovo and is part of the Balkan League.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sigal Prishtina hap etapën e re në basketboll|url=http://www.koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,18,121113|access-date=1 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908021533/http://koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,18,121113|archive-date=8 September 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Joining it in the Superleague is another team from Pristina, RTV 21.<ref>{{cite web|title=ETC SUPERLIGA|url=http://www.basketbolli.com/sq/league/etc-superliga|access-date=1 March 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402174016/http://www.basketbolli.com/sq/league/etc-superliga|archive-date=2 April 2014}}</ref>
[[Streetball Kosova|Streetball]] is a traditionally organized sport and cultural event at the [[Germia Park]] since 2000. Apart from indoor basketball success, Che Bar team has been crowned the champion of the national championship in 2013. This victory coincided with Streetball Kosovo's acceptance in [[FIBA]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Che Bar kampione e Kosovës në Streetball|url=http://www.kosovastreetball.org/|access-date=1 March 2014}}</ref> [[Team handball|Handball]] is also very popular. Pristina's representatives are recognized internationally and play international matches.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
In September 2023, Pristina was named host city for the [[2030 Mediterranean Games]].
== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Kosovo}}
Pristina is a founding member of the Union of Albanian Municipalities in the Region.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 November 2016 |title=Zyrtarizohet UBSHR, mbledh Konferencën e parë |url=https://ubshr.tirana.al/mbahet-konferenca-e-pare-e-unionit-te-bashkive-dhe-komunave-shqiptare-ne-rajon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002190614/https://ubshr.tirana.al/mbahet-konferenca-e-pare-e-unionit-te-bashkive-dhe-komunave-shqiptare-ne-rajon/ |archive-date=2 October 2021 |access-date=2 October 2021 |publisher=Unioni i Bashkive Shqiptare (UBSHR) |language=sq}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |last=Bytyçi |first=Muhamet |title=Politikat Lokale – Bashk olitikat Lokale – Bashkëpunimi Ndërkomunal në K ëpunimi Ndërkomunal në Kosovë |type=MPA thesis |publisher=[[University for Business and Technology]] (UBT) |url=https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=etd |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812094056/https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=etd |archive-date=12 August 2021 |doi=10.33107/ubt-etd.2019.21 |page=42 |doi-broken-date=1 August 2023 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref>
Pristina is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:{{efn|name=fn2|Citations regarding the twin or sister cities of Pristina:<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Ankara|Ankara Metropolitan Municipality]] |title=Sister cities of Ankara |url=https://www.ankara.bel.tr/en/foreign-relations-department/sister-cities-of-ankara#.YViNENpBzIU |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002164826/https://www.ankara.bel.tr/en/foreign-relations-department/sister-cities-of-ankara |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Bursa|Bursa Municipality]] |title=Kardeş Şehirler |url=https://www.bursa.bel.tr/sayfa/kardes-sehirler-261 |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002165140/https://www.bursa.bel.tr/sayfa/kardes-sehirler-261 |archive-date=2 October 2021 |language=tr |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] |title=Des Moines to become Sister Cities with Pristina, Kosovo |url=https://www.dsmpartnership.com/news-media/blog/des-moines-to-become-sister-cities-with-pristina-kosovo |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416112537/https://www.dsmpartnership.com/news-media/blog/des-moines-to-become-sister-cities-with-pristina-kosovo |archive-date=16 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Namur|Ville de Namur]] |title=Relations Internationales |url=https://www.namurinternational.be/ |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002165611/https://www.namurinternational.be/ |archive-date=2 October 2021 |language=fr |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagdeco|Turkey}} [[Ankara]], Turkey
* {{flagdeco|Turkey}} [[Bursa]], Turkey
* {{flagdeco|United States of America}}[[Des Moines]], United States of America
* {{flagdeco|Belgium}} [[Namur]], Belgium
{{div col end}}
Pristina also has a partnership agreement with [[Zagreb]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistical Yearbook of the City of Zagreb 2018 |url=https://www.zagreb.hr/UserDocsImages/arhiva/statistika/SYCZ_2018%2023%2004%202019%20links.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022171011/https://www.zagreb.hr/UserDocsImages/arhiva/statistika/SYCZ_2018%2023%2004%202019%20links.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2020 |access-date=6 October 2021 |publisher=[[Zagreb|City of Zagreb]] |page=34}}</ref>{{Clear}}
== See also ==
* [[List of people from Pristina]]
== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Pristina|collapsible=collapsed}}
* [https://prishtinaonline.com Municipality of Pristina]{{spaced ndash}}Official Website
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Prishtina |volume=22|page=361 |short=x}}
{{Pristina}}
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