THE CITY OF PRIZREN AND THE SURROUNDINGS BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD WARS

Abstract

Prizren and the Prizren district had a rich economic, political, religious and cultural tradition. Prizren was one of the few cities in Kosovo and Metohija (there were also Peć, Priština and Kosovska Mitrovica). It had a hydroelectric power plant, a slaughterhouse, markets, water supply and sewerage, schools, reading rooms, a public bath and a customs office building. The state built the Gymnasium, the District Court and the Nursery. The Tetovo-Prizren road was very important, telephone and telegraph communications were developed, and Šar planina was a tourist attraction. In Prizren, most of the inhabitants were engaged in industry, primarily milling because agriculture was an important branch of the economy. It had developed trade and crafts, although these branches declined due to the development of industry and its products. Educational and health conditions were not adequate as in all parts of Kosovo and Metohija, but Prizren stood out for the seminary and the hospital with the largest number of buildings. Also, Prizren was an important geostrategic point and political economic center. In the years before the Second World War, Prizren and its surroundings began to decline due to the closing of the border with Albania, but Prizren still remained a symbol of the imperial city with a special mentality that sets it apart from other cities in all of Serbia.