NewBorn

I have met a lot of people from around the world. They ask me where I am from, and I tell them I am from Kosovo. I didn’t expect that many different opinions about Kosovo.  Some were thinking there is still a war going on there. Some were thinking it is a country of crime, with gun fights in the city, drugs, corruption etc. And some didn’t know that country existed. I don’t blame them, it’s easy to get influenced by media. And that’s why I decided to show another perspective. 

Europe's youngest nation, Kosovo is a small country (10,908 square kilometers) which is located in the center of the Balkans. The population of Kosovo is 1,809,280 people, and 300,000 of them live on the capital Pristina.

It has been just 11 years since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia (17 February 2008), And 21 years since the war endedd between Kosovo and Serbia. For the first time in history, Kosovo is independent. 

Listen to Drin who will guide you through the story:

Quick history

• 1st century AD, the Romans gain control of the area.
• 6th century - Slavs begin to settle in the area
• 12th century - Serbia gains control of Kosovo.
• 1389 28 June - Epic Battle of Kosovo against Ottoman Empire, that lasted for 500 years.
• 1689-90 - Austrian invasion
• 1946 - Kosovo is absorbed into the Yugoslav federation.
• 1990 - Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic strips Kosovo of its autonomy and imposes Serbian administration on the territory, prompting Albanian protests.
• 1991 - Start of the violent break-up of Yugoslavia. Kosovar Albanians launch a passive resistance movement
• 1993-97 - Ethnic tension and armed unrest escalate.
• 1998 March-September - Open conflict between Serb police and separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Serb forces launch a brutal crackdown. Civilians are driven from their homes.
• 1998 September - NATO gives an ultimatum to President Milosevic to halt the crackdown on Kosovo Albanians.
• 1999 March - Internationally-brokered peace talks fail.
• NATO launches air strikes against Yugoslavia lasting 78 days before Belgrade yields.
• Hundreds of thousands of Kosovo Albanian refugees pour into neighboring countries, telling of massacres and forced expulsions which followed the start of the NATO campaign.
• 2008 February - Kosovo finally declares independence.

The Newborn Monument in Pristina, Kosovo. (Unveiled the day that Kosovo formally declared its independence).

It was been 11 years since Kosovo declared its independence, and its a short time for a country to get
strong.

How people expect Kosovo to be.