Burrel (alternate forms ''Burrel'', ''Mat'') is a town in northern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, 91 km from

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality

Mat A mat is a hard or soft floor covering that generally is placed on a floor or other flat surface. Mats serve a range of purposes including: * serving to clean items passed over it, such as a doormat, which removes dirt from the soles of shoe ...

. It was the seat of the former

District of Mat Mat District () was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 61,906 in 2001, and an area of . It was named after the river Mat, which flows through th ...

. The population as of the 2023 census is 7,928.

History

The last archaeological researches has explored different trails which demonstrate the population of the area from the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

era. The valley of

i, has been populated during all the historic periods. In antiquity the region was inhabited by various Illyrian populations including the

Pirustae This is a list of ancient tribes in the ancient territory of Illyria (; ). The name ''Illyrians'' seems to be the name of a single Illyrian tribe that was the first to come into contact with the ancient Greeks, causing the name Illyrians to be ap ...

. In second century BC the region came under

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

control. A famous native of Burrel was Ahmet Zogu, first

King of the Albanians The King of Albania (Albanian language, Albanian: ''Mbreti i Shqipërisë'') was a title styled by the official ruler of Albania. While the medieval Capetian House of Anjou, AngevinKingdom of Albania (medieval), Kingdom of Albania was a monarchy, ...

(born Ahmet Zogolli, later changed to Ahmet Zogu; 8 October 1895 – 9 April 1961), who reigned as

King Zog I Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 18959 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as King ...

from 1928 to 1939. He had previously been a Prime Minister of Albania between 1922 and 1924 and

President of Albania The president of Albania (), officially the president of the Republic of Albania (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the Albanian Armed Forces, military and the representative of the unity of the Albanian people. The president sets ...

between 1925 and 1928. At one time, Burrel was referred to as the "city of apples" because of the apple trees that lined many of the town's streets, however, during the time of the Communist regime and the unrest following the change of government, the apple trees were cut down for profit or personal use as firewood. There are hardly any apple trees left in the town now. Burrel was a miners' town during

Communist Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the Pa ...

, but the mines closed, with the exception of a

ferrochrome Ferrochrome or ferrochromium (FeCr) is a type of ferroalloy, that is, an alloy of chromium and iron, generally containing 50 to 70% chromium by weight. Ferrochrome is produced by electric arc carbothermic reduction of chromite. Most of the glo ...

plant still operational near Burrel. During the

Kosovo conflict The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

there was a refugee camp near Burrel for 2,000 people. With food and water and supplies from

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

and

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

Demographic history

Burrel (''Burjil'') is recorded in the Ottoman ''

defter A ''defter'' was a type of tax register and land cadastre in the Ottoman Empire. Etymology The term is derived from Greek , literally 'processed animal skin, leather, fur', meaning a book, having pages of goat parchment used along with papyrus ...

'' of 1467 as a settlement belonging to the

timar A timar was a land grant by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with an annual tax revenue of less than 20,000 akçes. The revenues produced from the land acted as compensation for military service. A ...

of the local Albanians Kali Gjergji, Gjonima, Gjergji, and Todori in the

vilayet A vilayet (, "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated b ...

of Mati. The village had a total of six households which were represented by the following household heads: ''Tanush Shurbi'', '' Abati Gjergj'', ''Andrija Riçi'', ''Gjergj Aleksi'', ''Peter Shpani'', and ''Gjon Skura''.

Prison of Burrel

The city used to be the site of one of the most terrible prisons of the communist regime, where both ordinary criminals and political prisoners such as

Bashkim Shehu Bashkim Shehu (born 22 June 1955, Tirana) is an Albanian writer who lives in Barcelona, Spain. Biography From 1975 to 1980, he studied Liberal Arts at the University of Tirana. Until 1981, he worked as a screenwriter at Kinostudio Shqipëria e R ...

and

Fatos Lubonja Fatos Lubonja (born 1951) is an Albanian writer and dissident. Life Lubonja was born in 1951. He attended the University of Tirana for his education. Lubonja was in jail from 1972 to 1991 as a political prsioner. He suffered a nervous breakdow ...

or the Catholic priest

Dom Simon Jubani Dom Simon Jubani (8 March 1927 – 12 July 2011) was a Catholic priest and Albanian political prisoner confined in Burrel Prison for 26 years during the regime of Enver Hoxha. Early career and imprisonment Jubani, brother of Dom Lazer who ...

were held. Another famous inmate was

Pjetër Arbnori Pjetër Filip Arbnori (18 January 1935 – 8 July 2006) was an Albanian politician and dissident of the communist regime in Albania. He was dubbed "the Mandela of the Balkans" by Albanian statesmen because of the length of his 28-year internm ...

, later to become a member of the free Albanian Parliament. Arbnori was known as "the Mandela of the Balkans" because of the length of his internment, which lasted for over 28 years. It was one of the

Labor camps A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (especi ...

in the PSRA. The political prisoners used to be condemned for attempts at overthrowing the state or anti-communist propaganda and agitation, for terms of at least 20 years. Often they were re-condemned while in prison. After the fall of the communist regime, the government of the

Democratic Party of Albania The Democratic Party of Albania (, PDSH), also known as the Democratic Party (, PD), is a Conservatism, conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013 and has dominated the Albanian ...

closed the prison and made it a museum. However, in 1997,

Sali Berisha Sali Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian cardiologist and conservative politician who served as the president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and as the 32nd Prime Minister of Albania, prime minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013. Berisha ...

re-opened it as an active prison.

Archaeology

The region of Mati is a real archaeological museum and an ancient cradle of the Illyrian culture. Dilaver Kurti explored objects which demonstrate fact for all ancient historic periods, cultural development not only from the region of Mati but even for all the surroundings. It is a very important zone for the study of the Illyrian culture. The Museum of Mat is a real gem of the Illyrian culture, displaying many artifacts of the

Illyrians The Illyrians (, ; ) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan populations, alon ...

also displayed and analyzed in the book Trashigime Iliro-Arberore by Dilaver Kurti. Kurti also traveled from village to village collecting ethnographic materials and photographs which make up the material of his books Shenime Etnografike Neper Mat and Foklor Nga Mati.

Sports

Klubi Sportiv Burreli (

KS Burreli Klubi Sportiv Burreli is an Albanian football club based in Burrel. Their home ground is the Liri Ballabani Stadium and they compete in the Kategoria e Parë. History The club was founded in 1928, but was not an organised club until 1935 un ...

) is an Albanian football (soccer) club based in Burrel. Its home stadium is

Liri Ballabani Stadium Liri Ballabani Stadium (a.k.a. Burreli Stadium, ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Burrel, Albania. The stadium is the home ground of KS Burreli Klubi Sportiv Burreli is an Albanian football club based in Burrel. Their home ground is the Liri ...

, also known as the Burreli Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,000 visitors. Founded in 1952 under the name "KS 31 Korriku Burrel", the club first participated in the Albanian First Division in 1982. As of the 2022–2023 season, KS Burreli finished in 10th place, while playing in the Kategoria e Parë.

Climate

Notable people

Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha (; died 21 March 1653) was an Ottoman Albanian statesman and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 20 June 1652 to 21 March 1653, when he was executed because of the economic reforms he initiated. Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha was ...

- Ottoman

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

* Ador Gjuci - football player *

Kurt Agë Kadiu Kurt Agë Kadiu(Lis, Albania, Lis, Vilayet of Scutari, Ottoman Empire 1868 - Mat (municipality), Mat, Albania 1923) was a 19th-century Albanian politician. He was one of the delegates of the Albanian Declaration of Independence."History of Albania ...

- one of the signatories of the

Albanian Declaration of Independence The Albanian Declaration of Independence (Albanian language, Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six da ...

Hysni Milloshi Hysni Milloshi (26 January 1946 – 25 April 2012) was the founder and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Albania, successor to the Party of Labor of Albania. Biography Milloshi was born in Macukull, Mat District, Albania, on January ...

- Communist *

Juliana Pasha Juliana Pasha (born 20 May 1980) is an Albanian singer. In 2010, she won Honorary Citizen Award of Burrel from the mayor of the city. After she went into Eurovision in 2010 she won the first prize in the festival "Kenga Magjike" with the song ca ...

- singer * Saimir Patushi - football player *

Zog I of Albania Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 18959 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as King ...

- king of Albania from 1928 to 1939 *

Xhelal Bey Zogu Prince Xhelal Zogu (born Xhelal bey Zogolli; 14 May 1881 – 26 February 1944) was scion of the House of Zogu, half-brother of Zog of Albania. Biography He was born in Castle Burgajet to Xhemal Pasha Zogu ( 1860–1911) and Zenja Malika Hanem ...

- Albanian prince *

Xhemal Pasha Zogu Xhemal Pasha Zogu (; 1860–1911), also known as Jamal Pasha or Jamal Pasha Zogolli, was the Hereditary Governor of Mati, Albania (at the time part of the Ottoman Empire). He was the father of King Zog I of Albania. Born at Burgajet Castle, Mati ...

- father of

Rexhep Pasha Mati Rexhep Pasha Mati (, ''Rajab Pasha''; 1842–1908) was an Ottoman-Albanian marshal, governor and war minister. Biography Rexhep Pasha Mati was an Albanian. While serving in Kerbela (modern Karbala, Iraq), Mati took action against an attack ...

- Marshal, Governor and War Minister *

Armando Dobra Armando Dobra (born 14 April 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Chesterfield. Born in England, he represents Albania's youth teams internationally. Club career Ipswich Town Dobra joined the Ipswich Town acad ...

- Albanian footballer

References

{{Authority control Former municipalities in Dibër County Administrative units of Mat (municipality) Towns in Albania