The Museum of Mitrovica is, without a doubt, one of the best places to visit in Mitrovica. Established in 1952, it's located in the former Yugoslav Army house in the center of the city. The museum contains four sections in total: archeology, ethnology, multimedia, and history. There's also the museum garden, where various events and activities are organized throughout the year. This is the second most supplied museum after the National Museum in Prishtina, holding over a thousand artifacts dating from the neolithic & Illyrian periods, and over 800 ethnological handmade clothes & accessories. Unfortunately, the rest of the artifacts are currently kept in the archives, since the museum shares a building with the music school.
As soon as I walked into the museum, I could hear the students practicing various instruments in the distance. It was quite fitting, as it gave the museum a charming aura. On this particular day, the museum was a bit quiet and empty, so I asked the guard if I may have a quick tour. He gladly said yes, and briefly explained the museum's rules to my sister & I. Although they normally don't allow to take photos, they were kind enough to give me permission for the sake of this post. We were greeted by the lovely archivist & curator, Fitore Bala, who began explaining the history behind the fossil artifacts right away. They were actually lent from the museum of Beograd, which was quite shocking to hear, considering the centuries long conflict between Albanians and Serbs. The fossil that caught my eye the most was the large bull/bison fossil, as it was located right in the middle of the room. Afterward, we slowly made our way into the archeology section, where there were collections of many ancient tools, pottery, weapons, armor, worship objects, etc. It was interesting to see the gradual shift from matriarchy (objects of deity worship) to patriarchy (weapons). The artifacts in this room dated from the neolithic period until medieval times, as shown by the keys & drawing of the Zveçan fortress.
After the archeological displays, we walked into the ethnology hall, which is my favorite section of the museum, because of the amount of cultural items that citizens have donated to the museum. The hall is large, with a long hallway, leading to a play stage, which is occasionally used for events. Starting on the left side, a recreation of the traditional Albanian men's room, called oda, was displayed with objects such as cushions, çifteli, and even a shotgun. Going along this side, eight traditional Kosovar outfits are displayed in class cases, some even belonging to different ethnic groups within the country. On the opposite side, there were 8 more glass cases, displaying an array of traditional clothing accessories, jewelry, dishes, and medical equipment. The final display in this hall was the small corner of the traditional Albanian women's room, which also contained vases, a couch, and the crib (a.k.a djepi).
Afterwards, we went into the multimedia room. Unlike the two previous sections, this and the history section are not permanent displays. The current exhibition in the multimedia room is called "These are not bombs, they are drums of freedom!", which is a special multimedia exhibition created by Lulzim & Kushtrim Hoti. A number of photographs of the aftermath of the war in Mitrovica are displayed across the room, with a loud track of bombing (yet, eventual drum) noises playing from the TV. There was also a photo album displayed in the room, which contained photographs taken from a 15-year-old boy right after the war had ended. Although I was born after the war, I always feel sad and horrified with what my family and other fellow Kosovars had to deal with 30+ years ago.
After that, we moved on to the historical section, which was right next door. As soon as we walked in the room, we saw posters on 3/4 of the walls showing the martyrs of Mitrovica. There were also around 11 framed displays; each containing clothes and personal items from victims of the war. It was devastating to see two children among the displays, as their clothes seemed so colorful, just as their futures should have been.
When we were finished looking at the displays, Ms. Bala walked us back to the entrance, and with a warm smile, told us to come back anytime we'd wish, especially when there are fun activities. My sister and I thanked her once again for her great tour of the museum, as well as the lovely guard.
If you would like to know more about the museum of Mitrovica, please check out these sources:
Museum of Mitrovica's official facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/muzeuimitrovices/
Mitrovica Guide: https://mitrovicaguide.com/place/museum-of-modern-art/
Virtual 360° tour of the museum: https://lapsi360.com/MuzeuiMitrovic%C3%ABs/?fbclid=IwAR3la6REKWk4wtR6aKm9XdGEbI44ls8IKSzfd0D0MTK29oTWRhMZpFMIKME
Comments
Post a Comment