KOSOVO MUSEUM

Founded in 1949, the museum (Muzeu i Kosovës, Muzej Kosova) is located in the former headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian forces (1889). Benefiting from a modern presentation since 2018, it brings together mainly a collection of archaeology and another dedicated to the Kosovo War (1998-1999). Alas, two things spoil the visit: the lack of information, especially in English, and, above all, it is never specified when the objects on display are originals or copies (which is clearly the case for some artifacts of the archaeological collection).

Archaeology - Ground floor. Already the name of the room makes one wonder: "the Dardanians". Here is a people of the end of the Neolithic period about whom we know almost nothing and who are attributed all the objects presented here, including Roman steles or a treasure of 670 Byzantine coins. But let us pass. There are still some very beautiful things. Notably rare Neolithic figurines "with alien heads": these are terracotta statuettes from the Vinča culture (7000-3000 BC) that represent female or zoomorphic deities. Also on the first floor, a display case houses personal effects of Ibrahim Rugova (1992-2006). Here we find the famous scarf of the writer-president, his typewriter, and his title of Doctor Honoris Causa awarded by the Academy of Créteil in 1996.

Recent period - 1^er floor. In the staircase, a portrait of Mother Teresa made with 1.5 million staples is accompanied by a quote from the Indo-Albanian saint: "Peace begins with a smile ". This is followed by a showcase of stamps issued by Kosovo since the year 2000. This is exciting only for philatelists. But note that these stamps are in fact issued by the UN post office: it is the only way to send mail in countries that do not recognize Kosovo. Another window quickly returns to the Albanian revolts against the Ottomans in the 19th and early 20th centuries. But most of the floor is devoted to the war of 1998-1999. At the key, a vast arsenal of guns and missile launchers of all kinds. And also some uniforms like the one offered by the American general Wesley Clark who directed the operation Allied Force (March-June 1999), or again, the suit of Faruza Kallaba, an American of the US Air Force of Albanian origin who took part in the bombardments as a refueling boom operator.