It's well worth making the steep 15-minute hike up from Prizren's old town (follow the road past the Orthodox Church on the hillside; it's well signed and pretty obvious) for the superb views over the city and on into the distance. The fortress itself is a little tumble-down but restoration work is currently underway. In the evening heaps of locals come up here and a slight carnival atmosphere prevails. In the white-heat of day, it can be quite lifeless.
Archeological remains have been found here dating back as far as 1100 BC, but the first fortress was built here by the Byzantines. It was then expanded by successive Serbian kings in the 12th to 14th centuries before becoming a seat of power for the Ottoman rulers of Kosovo until their expulsion in 1912. Information panels in English give further explanations of the site's past.
In the summer occasional concerts and theatrical events are staged within the fortress grounds.
