History
During the Balkan Wars, Kosovo and Albania were conquered by Serbia in 1912 and the western part of Kosovo was conquered by Montenegro. After negotiations with Turkey, it was agreed to let the Albanians emigrate to Turkey, which, however, had little success. Vaso Cubrilovic of the Serbian Academy of Sciences had drawn up a careful document describing how the expulsion of the Albanians and the colonization of Serbia should take place.
In 1986, Slobodan Milošević became leader of the Serbian communists and he wanted to reduce the power of Kosovo and Vojvodina. When he became president, Kosovo and Vojvodina lost their autonomy on 28 September 1990. Kosovo was no longer a member of the Yugoslav Federation but again a province in Serbia with little autonomy. The name was changed to Autonomous Province of Kosovo. That caused a lot of dissatisfaction with the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and they unilaterally called on independence on 17 February 2008.
The city of Pristina originated in the Middle Ages on the ruins of Ulpiana rebuilt by Emperor Justinian I of Byzantium, which was located about 15 kilometers south of the current Pristina. Later King Milutin of Pristina made his capital, but in 1389, after the battle for Kosovo, the city was taken in the hands of the Ottomans. In 1912, Kosovo and Pristina belonged to Albania, but after a year the young Albanian state was forced to resign to Serbia. In 1946, the city received its status as the official headquarters of the Serbian province of Kosovo in Metohija, often abbreviated as Kosmet. Later, the province was de facto detached from the republic of Serbia, and was obtained by the Yugoslavian Constitution of 1974, a virtually equal status as the six republics of Yugoslavia. Formally the area became autonomous within Serbia. Until the end of Kosovo's constitutional autonomy in 1989, Kosovo had its own parliament, government and judicial organization.
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In 1997, Kosovo's autonomy was reversed by Serbian President Milošević and became the region a Serbian province. In response to this policy, the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) began a civil war against the Serbian government army. On Sunday, February 17, 2008, the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo eventually followed and Pristina became the capital of de facto independent Kosovo.
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If you want to understand Kosovo, look no further than its Olympic gold medal winner for judo, Majlinda Kelmendi. In the country’s Olympic debut in 2016, this 25 year old did her country proud by taking gold. She was only eight years old when war broke out and, after years of hardship in her home town of Peja, she took up judo when the war ended. A beautiful ball of energy, who has survived a war, she is a smiling, determined young woman, with mountain strength. Just like the country she represents. Because Kosovo is not only the newest country in Europe, but also has the youngest population, with over 70 percent under the age of 35. The cities are culturally cool, the stunning mountain regions invite healthy outdoor living and there is a great sense of welcome and multi-cultural pride. Plus the golden sun shines on its mountains, valleys and lakes throughout the summer making it, on many fronts, a guaranteed winner.
Read more in our Kosovo travel guide.