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The most prominent reminders of the war in Kosovo are the memorials to the fallen members of the Kosovo Liberation Army which appear in every town and dot the countryside. The highest profile of these is the ruins of the Jashari Family compound, the site of a notorious massacre and now home to a shrine which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Running through the centre of Prishtina is the newly pedestrianised Mother Theresa (Nene Tereze) avenue. At the northern end of this stands an immense bronze statue of the Albanian hero George Castrioti Skanderbeg. A vassal prince to the Ottoman empire in the 15th century, Skanderbeg ensured his place as the most revered of Albanian figures by rebelling against his Ottoman masters. Albanians and Kosovans celebrate his two decades of rule as Albania’s only period of independence during 500 years of Ottoman subjugation. Further down the street , past a hunched, unassuming statue of Mother Theresa herself, stands a sculpture of a more modern kind of Kosovan ‘hero’. The sculpture is in the rough hewn socialist style and could be of a World War II partisan, but on closer inspection turns out to be far more recent. Zahir Pajaziti, a Kosovo Liberation Army commander from Podujeva, is depicted with a steely glare and rifle in hand. Pajaziti was a founder member of the KLA who was killed fighting the Serbs in 1999. He is one of a generation of KLA figures who are being elevated to legendary status in the narrative of the Kosovan national struggle

Skanderbeg, Mother Theresa and the KLA's Pajaziti - three very different national heroes on Nene Tereze Avenue in Prishtina

This is far from the only symbol of the KLA in the capital. Streets named after KLA leaders and ‘martyrs’ run alongside those named after more moderate political figures. On Martyr’s Hill, overlooking the city, the graves of KLA fighters lie beneath the Albanian flag. The simple wooden crosses are adorned with garish floral wreaths arranged around plastic shields. On the other side of the hill sits the tomb of Ibrahim Rugova, a restrained marble plinth. There was controversy when this spot was chosen for his resting place. KLA fighters were known for their willingness to resort to force; Rugova was known for the exact opposite, leading the region through a decade of passive resistance.

KLA memorials on Marty's Hill in Prishtina

Other KLA fighters who survived the conflict have gone on to become major political figures. Posters of Ramush Haradinaj adorn bus shelters and billboards. Haradinaj was a KLA commander who, like many of his colleagues, turned politician after the war. After helping the KLA transform into the civilian Kosovan Protection Corps, he became Prime Minister in 2004 but subsequently stood down when he was indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague. ‘Ramush, We need you now!’ shouted the billboards. In April 2008 he was acquitted through lack of evidence. ‘Welcome home Ramush!’ posters appeared. Haradinaj is a controversial figure - many see him as instrumental to the stability of the country and cite his willingness to enter a coalitional government with Rugova in 2004. Others, such as the chief prosecutor at the Hague Carla Del Ponte, insist he is a war criminal.

Billboard showing ex-KLA commander and ex-prime minister Ramush Haradinaj	Memorial for Luan Haradinaj in Decan

Like many prominent KLA figures, Haradinaj fought alongside his extended family. His brother, Luan, was shot and killed by Serbian forces and his statue stands in the city of Decan near the family’s home village of Glodjane. Many strongholds of resistance, even in the days before the KLA came to prominence, formed around family units in small villages. In particular the Drenica Valley and the Jashari family have come to symbolise the struggle for independence.

Two of the many images of Adem Jashari in Prishtina

The image of Adem Jashari is the country’s most prominent KLA symbol. In Prishtina his face stares out from billboards, from flags, from graffiti. Underneath is the slogan ‘Bac, U Kry’ – ‘Uncle, it’s done’. The black and white silhouette is carefully crafted to evoke Alexander Korda’s famous image of Che Guevara. Enter his name into internet search engines and you’ll find hundreds of videos made in homage to him. One of the city’s unmistakeable landmarks is the Palace of Youth and Sport, with its distinctive ridged roof. Everyone knows it as the Boro Ramiz building after two partisans – one Serb, one Albanian – who fought together against German occupation in World War 2. This message of Kosovan harmony is now overshadowed by a massive banner of Jashari hanging over the front entrance.