Prizren, 18 March 2004 - 6 churches burned in 24 hours

Prizren, once a multi-ethnic city with a long Serbian history, became a symbol of cultural genocide in the March Pogrom of 2004.

Prizren before March 2004

History:

• One of the oldest cities in the Balkans
• A medieval Serbian capital (13th-14th century)
• Emperor Dušan crowned in Prizren (1346)
• 39 Orthodox churches and monasteries existed for centuries

• 200 Serbian families (about 600 people)
• Lived mostly in the old town (the Sahat Kula area)
• Isolated, dependent on KFOR protection

18 March 2004 - Prizren's "Black Thursday"

10:00 - The gathering of the crowd

The central square of Prizren:

• A crowd of 3,000-4,000 Albanians
• Brought in by bus from the surrounding villages
• Organizers with megaphones: "It is time to cleanse Prizren!"
• Lists of Serbian addresses and churches were distributed

11:00 - The first attack - The Church of the Holy Savior (14th century)

Location: The old town, next to Sahat Kula

• A group of 500 people attacked the church
• Broke down the doors, destroyed the iconostasis
• Set the interior on fire
• Frescoes from the 14th century DAMAGED BY SMOKE

• Was 300 meters away
• Did NOT intervene
• Reason: "We were afraid of a clash with the crowd"

12:30 - Our Lady of Ljeviš (Bogorodica Ljeviška) (UNESCO monument, 14th century)

The most important monument of Prizren:

• Built in 1307
• On the UNESCO World Heritage List (since 2006, but already recognized)
• Frescoes of world value
• Icons from the Middle Ages

• A crowd of 1,000 people
• Broke down the walls, toppled the bell tower
• Set the interior on fire
• Frescoes from the 14th century - HEAVILY DAMAGED
• The roof collapsed

13:00-18:00 - Systematic destruction

Another 4 churches burned: 1. The Church of Saint Nicholas (16th century):

• Burned to the foundations
• Bells stolen before the burning

• Walls demolished with dynamite
• Completely destroyed

• The former endowment of Emperor Dušan
• Completely burned
• The tomb of medieval rulers - desecrated

• Set on fire
• The bell tower toppled

At the same time - Attack on Serbian houses

The Serbian quarter (around Sahat Kula):

• 67 houses burned
• Serbian shops looted and set on fire
• Serbs gathered in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Savior
• KFOR keeps them "in protective custody" - effectively prisoners

19:00 - Evacuation of the Serbs

KFOR (the German contingent):

• Evacuated 580 Serbs from Prizren
• A convoy of 30 armored vehicles
• Taken to Gračanica (a Serbian enclave near Priština)
• They took only what they could carry in their hands

Material damage - Prizren

Churches and monasteries:

• 6 churches completely destroyed or heavily damaged
• 1 UNESCO monument (Our Lady of Ljeviš / Bogorodica Ljeviška) - heavily damaged
• 2 monasteries - razed

• 67 Serbian houses - burned
• 28 shops - looted and burned

• 580 Serbs evacuated
• The Serbian community of Prizren - CEASED TO EXIST
• After 800+ years of Serbian presence - ZERO Serbs

KFOR - passivity and criticism

The German KFOR contingent (responsible for Prizren):

• 500 soldiers in the city
• Had information that violence was being prepared
• Did NOT set up additional patrols
• Did NOT prevent the attack on the churches
• Intervened only for the evacuation of the Serbs

Human Rights Watch: "500 well-armed NATO soldiers CAN stop an unarmed crowd if they WANT to. The problem was not military capability, but political will."

Reconstruction - partial

2005-2010:

• Our Lady of Ljeviš (Bogorodica Ljeviška) - rebuilt (with the help of UNESCO and the EU)
• The Church of the Holy Savior - partially rebuilt
• The other churches - some rebuilt, some left in ruins

• The churches are EMPTY - without worshippers
• Used only for rare tourist visits (under KFOR escort)
• The frescoes and icons - PART IRREVERSIBLY DESTROYED

Prizren today (2025)

• Number of Serbs: 0 (zero)
• Serbian churches: Rebuilt but empty
• Ethnic cleansing: COMPLETE
• UNESCO: Our Lady of Ljeviš (Bogorodica Ljeviška) on the list of "endangered monuments"

Justice - none

Arrested: 23 people Convicted: 8 people Sentences: 2-6 months in prison Compensation for damage: NONE The organizers of the attack: NEVER IDENTIFIED

The symbolism of Prizren

Prizren has become a symbol of:

• The erasure of Serbian history from Kosovo
• The failure of UNESCO to protect monuments
• The failure of NATO to protect civilians
• Successful ethnic cleansing - Prizren without Serbs after 800 years

"In Prizren, Serbs, Albanians, and Turks lived together for centuries. March 2004 ended that. In 24 hours, Prizren became a mono-ethnic city. That was the aim - and it was achieved." - OSCE report, 2004.