The memorial to the Kosovo Exodus of 1998 and 1999 is one of the few only tourist attractions in Kukës. It was built in 2009 by a group of grateful Kosovars – former refugees – to mark the 10th anniversary of their return from exile. The memorial consists of an ethnographic museum and something like a replica of a fortified tower (kulla), which is meant to symbolise both traditional Albanian hospitality and determination.
Located on the border with Kosovo, Kukës saw 450,000 refugees pass through during the Kosovo conflict. Tens of thousands of them spent several months in harsh conditions in hastily constructed refugee camps. They did not return to their homes until the summer of 1999 when Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo.
You can see photographs from the time of the refugee crisis in the foyer of the Palace of Culture, which stands on the other side of the square.
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