Pristina: Europe's youngest capital

Capital of Europe's youngest nation, independent since 2008, Pristina blends Ottoman monuments, historic mosques and symbols of recent independence.

The center, capital of Europe's youngest state, is comfortably explored on foot.

The statue of Bill Clinton, erected in an avenue bearing his name, recalls the role of the former American president in the international intervention that ended the 1999 conflict.

A few steps away, the Fatih Mosque, built in the fifteenth century, remains one of the best-preserved Ottoman buildings of the city.

Continuing, one visits the National Library of Kosovo, a building with geometric domes and a reticulated facade, among the most debated examples of twentieth-century Yugoslav architecture.

Toward evening, the Old Bazaar, rebuilt after decades of urban transformation, recalls the Ottoman commercial heritage of the city.

The 'Newborn' monument, installed on Kosovo's independence declaration day in 2008 and repainted each year for the anniversary with new colors and themed decorations, remains one of the most photographed symbols of the young Kosovar capital.

The National Library, completed in 1982 and composed of ninety-nine domes of varying sizes, still divides local public opinion today between those who consider it an architectural masterpiece and those who find it aesthetically eccentric.