The town of Janjevo is one of the places in Kosovo that hosts Croat community that inhabited the city since the 13th century. It represents an example of multi-ethnic Kosovo where different communities live peacefully together making it a natural choice for Oral History Initiative (OHI) to showcase to broader public Janjevo, a place that features a mix of Ottoman dwellings and Austro-Hungarian houses, a locality connected to the mining tradition.
To capture at least some of its rich history, the Oral History Initiative, through the “Inter-community Dialogue through Inclusive Cultural Heritage Preservation” project, set out to map Janjevo’s cultural heritage sites.
For the last six months, OHI researched and recorded oral history interviews with the members of different communities, capturing them in the app which contains the maps and the stories related to the life of people of different cultural backgrounds, enabling the external users to learn about the fascinating cultural and economic identity of the place and its inhabitants.
Some of the sites include Shtjefën Gjeçovi House Museum, St. Nicholas Church, Murad Bey Mosque, Palić Family House, and Matić Family House.
HE Ambassador Danijela Barišić, Croatian Embassy, Mr. Stefano Gnocchi, Adviser on Political Affairs/Communities, EUOK/EU Special Representative, Ms. Maria Suokko, UNDP Resident Representative,Shkëlzen Hajdini, Director of Economic Development in the municipality of Lipjan/Lipljane, Ms. Erëmirë Krasniqi, Director, Oral History Initiative, partners and public were present at the event.
As with Pristina Walks app, this is quite unique and innovative approach in ensuring that cultural values are safeguarded and documented.
The Janjevo Walks mobile app is part of the “Inter-community Dialogue through Inclusive Cultural Heritage Preservation” project funded by the European Union’s Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) and implemented by United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in Kosovo.
The app can be downloaded on iOS and Android platform.
