Prizren

in Prizren

Prizren - located in the southern region of Kosovo and Metohija, this city is also the center of the municipality of the same name. Prizren is located at the bottom of the Šar mountain near the Macedonian and Albanian borders. The first mentions of Prizren date back to 1090, when a certain Prizdrijana was mentioned in the charter of Emperor Vasilij II. During the centuries of its existence, the city has preserved numerous monuments of historical, cultural and spiritual importance. When it comes to the meaning of the name, one possible interpretation is that it refers to the ending "near the Dream" or "Before the Dream". In general, in this area there are many names related to Drim, Tdrina, Zadrim, etc. Prizren is located in the basin of the same name in southern Metohija. Together with the Ljubidjan and Prizren fields, it forms its own region in the Sarka-Pinda region. The city is located between 412-500m above sea level and occupies the area between Cvilen hill and Ošljak mountain, as well as Paštrik and Koritnik and the Šarplanina range. Prizrenska Bistrica is a river that flows through the city and divides it into two halves. It is known that its course was changed when the Turks arrived, so that it was directed to the right of the famous church of the Virgin of Ljeviška. This river flows into the Beli Drim and there used to be numerous wool mills and mills on it, which disappeared over time. In ancient times, Prizren existed under the name of Teranda and grew in the period 6-9. century , including the Kaljaja fortress, the suburbs and a small settlement around the basilica, on the foundations of which the church of the Virgin of Ljeviška was later built. The city came under the possession of the Serbian medieval state in 1214 during the reign of Stefan Nemanjić and there it continued its development as a center of spiritual and economic events. By the time of King Milutin, the city grew into a trade center of exceptional importance and became economically stronger during the reigns of Emperors Dušan, Uroš and King Milutin. Prizren even had its own money that was minted in the city, and many of the most important historical and cultural monuments that we know today originate from that successful period, among others St. Archangeli monastery complex, the church of the Virgin of Ljeviška and Dušan's endowment. Although there are no precise data, according to Turkish sources, Prizren did not fall under the ownership of the Ottomans until 1459. Soon after the conquest of the city, the Turkish authorities established the Sandzak of Prizren, which survived during the entire period of Turkish rule, even until 1912. Prizren returns to Serbia after the end of the Balkan Wars.