The Kosovo National Library, know by many other names as Yugoslavia, then Serbia, now Kosovo control it, is a fascinating building. I will say more after the image, but I have to say I was captivated by this image today.
National Library of Kosovo at night |
The domes from above |
The war history of the building is also fascinating. In 1988, the independence of the region was removed when Serbia revoked Kosovo's status as a self-governing region of Serbia. The Albania minority in Serbia (albeit a majority in Kosovo) were not allowed to study or write in Albania (Serbia uses абецеда). The Serbian government (never a great group of autocrats) destroyed the library interior, furniture and about 100,000 books. These books included ancient histories of Kosovo, the people and the region. Just as in Bosnia, the Serbs tried to destroy independent histories and claim the entire region was Serbian by literally destroying history.
During the Balkan Wars, the building housed thousands of Bosniak and Croatian refugees. During the war between Serbia and Kosovo, the building housed the Serbian / Yugoslav Armed Forces Headquarters. After Kosovo independence, the Kosovo Army spent a week hunting for mines and other explosive booby traps.
After the war, Kosovo took about 9 years to restore the building with help from the EU, America and United Nations experts. Including the metal chain link that was created at the inception of the building.
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