Tropojë

Tropojë
Municipality
Clockwise from top: Bajram Curri monument with the ethnographic museum hiding in the background, popular tourist destination of Doberdol, Snowing in Tropojë, the Valbonë River and the panoramic view of Valbonë National Park

Seal
Tropojë
Coordinates: 42°24′N 20°10′E / 42.400°N 20.167°E / 42.400; 20.167Coordinates: 42°24′N 20°10′E / 42.400°N 20.167°E / 42.400; 20.167
Country Albania Albania
County Kukës
Government
 • Mayor Besnik Dushaj (DP)
Area
 • Municipality 1,057.30 km2 (408.23 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Municipality 20,517
 • Municipality density 19/km2 (50/sq mi)
 • Administrative Unit 4,117
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal Code 8702-8703
Area Code (0)213
Vehicle registration AL
Website Official Website

Tropojë (definite Albanian form: Tropoja) is a municipality in Kukës County, northern Albania, near the border with Kosovo.[a] It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Bajram Curri, Bujan, Bytyç, Fierzë, Lekbibaj, Llugaj, Margegaj and Tropojë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Bajram Curri. The total population is 20,517 (2011 census), in a total area of 1057.30 km2.[1] The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 4,117.[2] The non-navigable Valbonë River flows through the municipality.

History

Archaeological evidence found in the area, such as castles or tumuli show that the area was populated since the ancient time.[3] The region lies in the geographical span of the Dardanii tribes.
Tropojë (today's Bajram Curri) was founded by the Berisha tribe and was the center of the commercial trade from the east (Kosovo Vilayet) to the west (Scutari Vilayet) in order to get imported products from the Adriatic Sea. One of the principal trade commodities was salt, which was exchanged for agricultural products. Having this geographical importance, Tropojë was the center of the former highlands of the famous and old city of Gjakova. Tropojë e Vjetër is also the name of a pass, which goes through the mountains, where the people from all over this region go during the summer to relax, and to have access in the green fields with their cattle. In modern times, these highlands attract tourists, especially those from Europe and Israel.

Demographics

The population of the commune is officially listed at 5,606 inhabitants; however, this figure includes many inhabitants who have emigrated from the area but still keep their original registration. A large number of Tropojans have moved to Tirana and are employed by state institutions, while still retaining their registration in Tropojë. The city of Kamëz is a popular location for many emigrants from the commune. The locals belong to the Ghegs, an ethnographic group of Albanians living in the northern parts. Although most Gheg Muslims are Sunni, there is a notable presence of Sufi Halveti structures clustered in Tropojë, as well as one in the nearby town of Shoshan in the eastern part of the neighboring Margegaj commune. [4] There is also a small Catholic minority. [5]

International perception

Within Albania, the Tropojë district has had a long reputation as one of the wildest and most conservative regions in Albania, virtually out of control of every government in Tirana, whether royalist, communist, or republican.

Economy

Agriculture

Tropojë has many agricultural products and is famous for its chestnuts, apples, nuts, grapes, and especially blueberries.

Mineral exploration

Large reserves of platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, iridium, and osmium have been discovered in Tropojë. Albanian, Italian, and Chinese engineers, working for Albanian Minerals and Bytyci ShPK in Tropojë, suggest the area may have more than 500 million tons of chrome ore and more than two billion tons of olivine in which platinum is 5-7 grams present per ton. This gigantic body of ore is one of the largest in the world.

Land registration

According to official statistics from the commune of Tropojë, only 23% of the communes 266 km2 have been registered.

Culture

Tourism

Tourism in Tropoja has been growing a lot in the last years. Most visited destinations are Valbonë[6] and alpine pastures.

Notable people

Notes

a. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 111 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References

  1. ↑ Interactive map administrative territorial reform
  2. ↑ 2011 census results
  3. ↑ Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology, 30-31, University of London. Institute of Archaeology, 1991, pp. 11–14
  4. ↑ [ https://babadauti.wordpress.com/tarikati-halveti-lista-e-teqeve-viti-2005/ TARIKATI HALVETI LISTA E TEQEVE VITI 2005] Accessed 3 July 2017.
  5. ↑ http://pop-stat.mashke.org/albania-religion-comm2011.htm
  6. ↑ http://sondortravel.com/peaks-of-the-balkans/
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