Peja is a small city in Western Kosovo near the Rugova Canyon. The city is located in a strategic position on Peja’s Lumbardh, a tributary of the White Drin to the east of the Accursed Mountains. The medieval city was possibly built on the ruins of a Roman Siparant. The city became a major religious center of medieval Serbia under the Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan, who made it the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1346. Serbs, Turks, Albanians, and Bulgarians ruled the city over the years. During World War II Peja was occupied by the Italian puppet state of Albania and after the war became again part of Yugoslavia. Relations between Serbs and Albanians, who were the majority population, were often tense during the 20th century. They came to a head in the Kosovo War of 1999, during which the city suffered heavy damage and mass killings. The city has a strange atmosphere, but it is nice to walk through the bustling old town, its small streets, and the old bazaar with a beautiful old mosque.
Parking location – Peja: 42.661035N 20.270476E (🚻)