Serbs Commemorate 1389 Battle in Kosovo

Gazimestan | Photo by FoNet

The ceremony will be similar to last year's, when visitors first attended a service at 10am at the medieval monastery of Gracanica, before traveling on to Gazimestan, near Pristina, site of the Battle of Kosovo of 1389.

The battle resulted in the defeat of Serbian Tsar lazar at the hands of the Ottoman Sultan, eventually resulting in the loss of Serbian independence for more than four centuries.  Though a defeat, the date remains hallowed in the Serbian calendar, inspiring some of the nation's most celebrated epic poems.

The government of Kosovo said it had approved requests for Serbian officials and religious groups to enter Kosovo for the event. One of those coming is Serbia’s minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanovic.

Police in Mitrovica and Pristina will be on hand to escort Serb officials and other participants to their destinations. “The police are ready and we will offer our services," Baki Kelani, Kosovo police spokesperson, told Balkan Insight.