KOSOVO’S CULTURAL HERITAGE TREASURY AS A WAR HOSTAGE IN BELGRADE AND UNESCO

Abstract

Although two decades have passed since the NATO war and Kosovo's secession from Serbia (1999), and over 11 years of independence (February 17, 2008), there is still a huge array of problems and hostility between Pristina and Belgrade. One of the public and state sensitive, controversial and complicated cases, in the relationship between the two states, is precisely this file. It is about 1243 archeological and ethnological artifacts that were taken before March 24, 1999, when the first bombs hit Serbia. Ethnological collections are kept at the Ethnographic Museum, while archaeological sites in the premises of Belgrade National Museum. It is a repeated story not only in the Balkans, but whenever there are wars, invasions, colonies, divisions and unions, ups and downs of old and new empires. Kosovo’s Treasury robbery looks like an old black and white film, realized with the special effects of the 20th century technologies.  
Keywords: Kosovo, Independence,  heritage, culture, archaeology, etc.