City foundations
In open fields.
Arianit — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arianit — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arianit — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arben Llapashtica — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shkurte ramushi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arianit — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ulpiana is an ancient Roman city about 12 kilometres south-east of Pristina and was among the largest settlements in the Balkans in late antiquity. It probably took its name from the emperor Trajan, Marcus Ulpius Traianus, under whom it was raised to the rank of a municipium before the year 117. An earthquake destroyed the city in 518, and the emperor Justinian had it rebuilt and renamed Justiniana Secunda. It stood near mines worked since ancient times, on fertile ground by the left bank of the Gračanka river. It was declared an archaeological park under permanent protection in 2016, covering 161 hectares; geophysical surveys have traced buildings across more than 120 hectares, and a second fortified part of the city was found in 2022. Visitors today see the foundations of walls, buildings and churches in open fields, with panels explaining the site. There is little shade, so carry water in summer, and the visit combines easily with the nearby Gračanica Monastery.
In open fields.
After the 518 quake.
A combined visit.
Gračanica municipality, about 12 km south-east of Pristina
The foundations of Roman and Byzantine walls, buildings and churches in open fields, with panels explaining the site.
