Priština

Priština, city in the republic of Serbia. Priština is the largest city in the Serbian province of Kosovo. Its population is made up primarily of ethnic Albanians, the majority of whom are Muslims. The city is chiefly a commercial and transportation center for the surrounding mining region. Major manufactures include processed food, jewelry, textiles, metal and wooden goods, and pharmaceuticals. The University of Priština (1970) is here. In the 14th century, the community became the capital of the Serbian Empire. In the late 1980s Albanian nationalists began to fight against political and religious persecution by the Serbian government, and protests took place in Priština and elsewhere in Kosovo. In 1992 the province voted to secede from Serbia and become part of Albania, but the Serbian government responded by tightening its control over Kosovo and restricting its nationalist press and government. Population (2003 estimate) 165,844.