Sunset view
Over the minarets.
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Prizren Fortress crowns a high hill east of the old town, overlooking the Prizren River around which the city grew. The site has been lived on and used since the Bronze Age, around 2000 BC; in late antiquity it was part of the defences of western Dardania, and it was rebuilt under the Byzantine emperor Justinian. Many states and rulers held it in turn until the Ottomans took direct control after 1450 and made it a central stronghold of the Eyalet of Rumelia, and most of what you see today dates from its 18th-century rebuilding. Excavations in 1969, 2004 and 2009–2011 uncovered walls reinforced with towers, casemates, maze-like corridors, store rooms and dwellings. The walk up from the old town through Nënkalaja, the quarter «below the fortress», takes about twenty minutes, and entry is free per visitor guides. The reward is the widest view of Prizren, its mosque domes and minarets, red roofs and the Šar Mountains behind, and the best time to climb is just before sunset.
Over the minarets.
From the digs.
The way up.
Hill east of the old town above the Nënkalaja quarter, Prizren
Albanian League ComplexThe League of Prizren Complex is a museum complex and heritage site in the heart3 minutes walk4.5
Sinan Pasha MosqueThe Sinan Pasha Mosque overlooks the main street of Prizren, its dome and minare4 minutes walk4.7
Gazi Mehmed Pasha HammamThe Gazi Mehmed Pasha Hammam, also called the Prizren Hammam, is an Ottoman bath4 minutes walk4.6
Old Stone BridgeThe Old Stone Bridge is Prizren's emblem, an arched Ottoman bridge over the Lumb5 minutes walk4.7About twenty minutes on foot from the old town through Nënkalaja; it is uphill, so wear comfortable shoes.