Germia, the forest three kilometres from central Pristina

Pristina isn’t known as a green city, which is why Germia comes as a surprise. A few kilometres from the boulevard a forest of oak and beech begins, one the city has protected for decades and which, according to the Municipality’s tourist leaflet, draws a million visits a year. With more than a day in the capital, I think it’s the best break from the concrete you’ll find.

A 62 km² massif on the city’s edge

Kosovo’s Environmental Protection Agency calls the Germia massif one of the most important natural assets not just for Pristina but for the whole of Kosovo. It spreads over 62 km² north-east of the city in a run of hills and stream valleys, and its highest point is the summit of Butos, 1,050 metres up. That’s where the Vellusha rises, one of the two rivers that ran through town until they were covered over in 1988.

The protected park is only part of it. In 1966 an area of the massif was declared a picnic forest, and in 1987 Pristina’s municipal assembly put the Germia complex under protection as a regional nature park covering 1,126 hectares. The agency’s 2016 list of protected areas puts it at 2,302 hectares in IUCN category V. It’s managed by the public company Hortikultura, with the Institute for Nature Protection keeping a professional eye on it.

What you’ll find

Forest, mostly. Over three-quarters of the park is wooded, 884 hectares by the agency’s count, in four types of woodland stacked by altitude, from oaks lower down to beech near 1,000 metres. The agency lists 610 species of vascular plants, five of them endemic, and 83 fungi. For wildlife, it has recorded 19 mammals, 30 birds, 7 reptiles and 5 amphibians.

For visitors, the practical bit is the 41-hectare recreation zone. It starts at the swimming pool and carries on through meadows, the old children’s holiday camp, the sports pitches and the former Germia hotel up to the foot of the ski lift. That’s the busiest part at weekends. Several springs on the massif dry up in summer, and the water from the rest is piped to the pool.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pristina before prices climb.

Is it worth going?

If you like walking, yes. It isn’t a national park like those in the western mountains, but it’s right there and it’s free. One detail I love is that Germia’s springs used to supply the marble fountain in Pristina’s old bazaar, according to the Ministry of Culture. The city and its forest have always been linked.

The agency itself warns that the massif suffers from logging, erosion and unplanned building, and asks people not to drop litter, not to drive inside the park and not to tamper with the springs. I’d add the obvious, which is to stay on the paths as much as you can.

How to combine it

The neatest way to do it is to follow the 5.6-kilometre trail published by the Pristina bear sanctuary, which leaves from Germia and arrives at its entrance in Mramor, by Lake Badovc. Coming back by taxi or bus fills a whole day nicely. If you’d rather keep things urban, the other options are in day trips from Pristina, and for planning the city itself there’s my guide to Pristina.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Germia Park and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pristina before prices climb.