Mitrovica: A City Shaped by Time
By Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
Mitrovica, also known as South Mitrovica, is located in northern Kosovo and is the administrative center of the Mitrovica District. In 2013, it was officially divided into two municipalities, South Mitrovica and North Mitrovica. The population (2024) equals 72,662, with 64,742 living in the south and 7,920 in the north.
With a history back to the Neolithic and Roman periods, Mitrovica has long been a focal point of civilizations, due to its strategic location along major trade routes. During the Middle Ages, it played a role in both the Byzantine and Serbian Empires and it was a modern city under Ottoman rule in the 17th century.
In the Yugoslav era, Mitrovica became an industrial hub, driven by the Trepça mining and metallurgy complex.
©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
©Aloys Bruggeman
However, the Kosovo War in 1999 led to ethnic divisions. The city was split both physically and administratively, with ethnic Albanians primarily in the south and ethnic Serbs in the north. Mitrovica remains a key educational center, hosting the University of Mitrovica “Isa Boletini” in the south and faculties of the parallel University of Pristina in the north, along with several private universities.
Mitrovica boasts a lively city center filled with shops, cafés, and restaurants serving delicious food at remarkably affordable prices.
A wonderful restaurant in Mitrovica ©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
When in Mitrovica you cannot miss massive brutalist Miners’ Monument, symbolizing the city’s mining tradition. The monument depicts columns supporting a mining cart. The monument was originally built to honor Albanian and Serbian miners who perished during World War II and once stood as a symbol of unity. It also commemorates the miners’ uprising against Nazi occupation in 1941. For decades, annual gatherings honored their sacrifices.
©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
Mitrovica is also known for the New Bridge (often called the Mitrovica Bridge or Ibar River Bridge), spanning the Ibar River and physically separating the Albanian-majority south from the Serbian-majority north. This bridge has become a symbol of the city’s ethnic divide. Once a military checkpoint, it effectively served as a boundary between North Kosovo and the rest of the region. Although now open to pedestrians, it remains under international and local surveillance. Since the early 2000s, the bridge has undergone multiple refurbishments, including structural reinforcements, aesthetic improvements, and lighting installations.
©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
When driving to Mitrovica from Prishtina for example you should not miss Adem Jashari Memorial Complex. It is a significant cultural and historical site located in Prekaz. It commemorates Prekaz Massacre: Adem Jashari, a founding member and commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and his family, his brother Hamëz, their father Shaban, and 56 other family members, including women and children who were killed during the Attack on Prekaz in March 1998 by the Serbian forces. The memorial consists of the cemetery, family house and the museum.
©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
Photos: ©Aloys Bruggeman, ©Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
Author: Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska is an international journalist and author with a background in American Culture Studies from Warsaw University. She is the chief editor of the Central and Eastern Europe Center and president of the European Institute on Communist Oppression. Born in Warsaw and currently residing in the Netherlands, Beata has roots in Lviv, Ukraine and has Armenian heritage.
