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Pristina is a fast-changing city that feels full of optimism and potential, even if its traffic-clogged streets and mismatched architectural styles don't make it an obviously attractive place. While the city does have a couple of worthwhile museums and galleries, and serves as a base for interesting nearby sights, for most visitors Pristina is a place where the atmosphere is as much an attraction as any classic tourist sight.
Outside the crowded city centre, with its international restaurants and smart cafes, you'll find yourself in the quaint Turkic hillside neighbourhoods that have defined the city for centuries, where the call to prayer still sounds from minarets overlooking the city's terracotta roofs and where the bustling bazaar remains the focal point of daily life.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Pristina.
Historic Building
This wonderful annex of the Museum of Kosovo is located in two beautifully preserved Ottoman houses enclosed in a large walled garden. The English-speaking staff will give you a fascinating tour of both properties and point out the various unique pieces of clothing, weaponry, jewellery and household items on display in each. There's no better introduction to Kosovar culture.
Mosque
The 'imperial mosque', as locals call it, was built on the orders of Mehmed the Conqueror around 1461, and although it was converted to a Catholic church during the Austro-Hungarian era, it was renovated again after WWII and is now the city's most important mosque. The minaret collapsed during an earthquake in 1955; the one standing today is a reconstruction. It has some beautiful interiors, as well as striking painted ceilings over the main entrance.
Museum
Pristina's main museum has recently reopened after extensive renovations. Displays begin back in the misty times of the Bronze Age. There are some wonderful statues and monuments to Dardanian gods and goddesses, plus a large stone relief depicting a Dardanian funeral procession.
Mosque
This mosque, which was fully renovated in 2015 as a gift from the Turkish government, has vibrant interiors that exemplify Turkish baroque style.
Gallery
This excellent space approaches Kosovan art from a contemporary perspective (don't expect to see paintings from the country's history here) and is worth a look around. Exhibitions change frequently and the gallery space is normally given over to a single artist at any one time. At the time of research, the 'art' included a stable of live cows.
Library
Easily one of Pristina's most notable buildings, the National Library, completed in 1982 by Croatian Andrija Mutnjakovic, has to be seen to be believed (think gelatinous eggs wearing armour). It's in the centre of a pleasant green area, one of the few things approaching a public park in the centre of Pristina.
Monument
These iconic block letters in downtown Pristina look a bit scrappy and worn these days, but they captured the imagination of the fledgling nation when they were unveiled on 17 February 2008, the day Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia and began its painful (and still incomplete) journey to full international recognition.
Historic Building
This small house opposite the stadium is devoted to former president Ibrahim Rugova and Kosovo's recent independence movement. English-speaking guides will show you around the small display, including video footage of Rugova's meetings with world leaders.
Landmark
This 26m-high tower dates from the 19th century and was central to the bazaar area, as it dictated when stalls should close for prayers. Following damage in the war, its clock now operates on electricity.