Entering Kosovo
To stamp or not to stamp your passport in Kosovo
We left Albania in driving rain that had continued through the night. It cleared up gradually as we got to the border of Kosovo.
It’s fun to look at all the passport stamps you get, but that is due to change. With the new passports with electronic chips, facial recognition and digital stamps will take over soon, at least at airports. For now though, why wouldn’t you get a stamp from Kosovo?
Kosovo is one of the newest countries in the world, declaring itself an independent country in 2004. Before that, it had most recently been under control of Serbia. Serbia was the center of the old Yugoslavia before the breakdown of communism in the 1990s. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a country, and will not let you cross its border from Kosovo if you have its stamp in your passport.
A few of the group had plans to visit Serbia, so asked to not have their passport stamped. I have no plans of returning there anytime soon, and also need a new passport soon, so I wanted the stamp. When we left Kosovo a few days later, the border guard who entered our van explained that you would only be turned away if you were entering Serbia directly from Kosovo, but sometimes you never know how these rules are interpreted. Not stamping would be the way to go.
Kosovan War
There was a brutal war in 1998 and 1999 between Serbians and Kosovan rebels. The Serbians destroyed homes and churches of the mainly ethnic Albanian Kosovan people. The war ended when NATO forces intervened and bombed the Serbians for several months. Over 13,000 people died in the conflict.
Ethnic violence between the Albanian Kosovans and Serbian Kosovans has flared up more recently, including a wave of riots in 2004 with 14 deaths.
Decani monastery
Our first stop after the border was Decani monastery, built in the 14th century by the King of Serbia. This medieval treasure is a World Heritage site and one of the most endangered European heritage sites.
The monastery is guarded around the clock by an Italian unit of a NATO-led peacekeeping force. It is in danger of being destroyed by Albanian Kosovans who in recent history have destroyed hundreds of other Serbian cultural sites in the country.
You are not allowed to use cameras inside the walls of the complex, but cell phone pictures are fine for some reason.
After leaving the monastery, we continued to our next stop, the city of Peja.