Kukës, Albania

🇦🇱 Kukës is a city in the Republic of Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës, one of 12 constituent counties of the republic. By air distance, Kukës is located 98 km north-east of Tirana, 75 km to the east of Shkodër and 34 km to the south of Gjakovë and 30 km to the west of Prizren in Kosovo.

Geologically, the terrain of the surrounding area is dominated by mountainous and high terrain. The city sprawls across the Luma Plain within the Albanian Alps between the banks of Lake Fierza and the hills of the northernmost Korab Mountains and westernmost Sharr Mountains. At the confluence of the Black and White Drin, the Drin River originates close to the city's territory.

History Kukës traces its history back over a thousand years. The region that nowadays corresponds to the city territory was inhabited by several ancient Illyrian tribes (most predominantly Dardani tribe), as most of Albania. Numerous tombs from the Illyrians have been identified at Këneta and Kolsh nearby the city. The city was part of Kingdom of Dardania during antiquity. The residential estate served as a stopping point on a branch road leading to the Via Egnatia, which connected Durrës on the Adriatic Sea in the west with Constantinople on the Marmara Sea in the east.

Illyrian tombs were found at Këneta and Kolsh nearby Kukës. It was a small Roman settlement, a stopping point on a branch road leading to the Via Egnatia, and a minor Ottoman market centre and trading post on the road to southern Kosovo. It was there (Qafa e Kolosjanit) where Albanian resistance stood up against retreating Serbian army in 1912.

Modern development The old Kukës was located at the confluence of the White Drin and Black Drin. In 1976 the town was submerged beneath the Fierza Reservoir, which is held back by a dam. The new town (Kukësi i Ri - "New Kukës") was built in the 1970s in the plateau nearby which is 320m over the sea level. Kukësi i Ri is surrounded by the artificial lake of Fierza and it looks like a peninsula from the above. It is linked with the other parts of the country by three bridges. On the east it faces the snow-covered mountain of Gjallica, 2468 m above sea level. In modern times and due to the close proximity to Kosovo, the city achieved worldwide recognition during the Kosovo War as thousands of Kosovo-Albanian refugees crossed the border and found security in the city. Kukës attracted international attention during the Kosovo conflict when 450,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees crossed the frontier and were housed in camps in and around Kukës.

Contemporary The city was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in regard to hospitality and for embracing thousands of refugees during the Kosovo War. It was the first time a town was nominated for the prize. In 2017, the city applied for the 2018 European Green Capital Award to become Europe's Green Capital. There is a mosque and a closed alpine-style hotel, part of an attempt to establish a tourist industry there. The OSCE maintained a villa there.

Environment Kukës is situated in the north-east of the country. It lies mostly between latitudes 42° and 5° N, and longitudes 20° and 25° E. The city extend strategically within the Albanian Alps and is trapped on four sides by numerous two-thousanders including Gjallica in the south, Koritnik in the east, Pashtrik in the north-east and several mountains in the west. It lies on the Luma Plain and the southern shores of Lake Fierza. It lies approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) in the south-east of the former location of the city, which was relocated as part of a hydroelectric scheme.

Politics The Kukës municipality was formed in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Arrën, Bicaj, Bushtricë, Grykë-Çajë, Kalis, Kolsh, Kukës, Malzi, Shishtavec, Shtiqën, Surroj, Tërthore, Topojan, Ujmisht and Zapod, that became municipal units. The municipality spans 934.80 square km (360.93 sq mi).

Economy Kukës County is Albania's poorest region both historically and presently. Since the 1990s many of its inhabitants have migrated to Tirana or abroad, leading to a decline in the local economy and making Kukës among Albania's and Europe's poorest regions and least developed.

There is also a local historical museum and a carpet factory.

The food industry is confined only to the production of alcoholic drinks produced in a drink factory, and to some local small workshops producing drinks and dairy products.

The Highlanders in the region are well known for their developed agriculture. Kukës has a carpet factory whose products are for domestic and trade use. There is also a copper processing factory as the raw material, copper is found in this place.

Kukës is a good centre for fishing and walking in the surrounding mountains.

Kukës has also an international airport called, Kukës International Airport Zayed. It is located approximately about 3.5 km (2.17 mi) south of Kukës city center. The government of Albania granted permission for it to host international passenger traffic in 2016. Companies like Air Albania and Wizz Air operate services to Kukës, with direct flights from some European cities. On April 18, 2021, the grand opening ceremony was held at the airport, with Air Albania Flight 9003 arriving from London.

The A1 highway passes through Kukës.