Librazhd ( sq-definite, Librazhdi) is a town and a municipality in

Elbasan County Elbasan County () is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The population is 232,580 (as of 2023), in an area of 3199 km2. Its capital is the city Elbasan. Administrative divisions Until 2000, Elbasan County was subdivided into four districts: ...

, southeast

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 ...

. The municipality was reformed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Hotolisht, Librazhd, Lunik, Orenjë,

Polis Polis (: poleis) means 'city' in Ancient Greek. The ancient word ''polis'' had socio-political connotations not possessed by modern usage. For example, Modern Greek πόλη (polē) is located within a (''khôra''), "country", which is a πατ ...

, Qendër Librazhd and Stëblevë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Librazhd. The total population is 23,312, in a total area of . The population of the municipal unit as of the 2023 census is 6,787. Librazhd is the nearest town to the Shebenik National Park.

History

Librazhd (''Liburazhda'') is attested in the Ottoman '' defter'' of 1467 as a village belonging to the '' timar'' of Karagöz 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 Çermeniça. The settlement had a total of 33 households, represented by the following household heads: ''Ilia Berishi'', '' Pop Mihali'', ''Gjergj Vaskuqi'', ''Ivo Stajo'', ''Nikolla Todini'', ''Miho Gjirgashi'', ''Todor Sqavi'', ''Mihal Arassi'' (''Arrasi''), ''Gjurko Papa Sedani'' (possibly, ''Papasdani''), ''Gjergj Arassi'', ''Gjergj Gjonjo'' (possibly, ''Gjonevi''), ''Miladin Simko'', ''Dimitri Gjinko'', ''Todor Kalini'', ''Petër Simko'', ''Ivo Nikoto'', ''Pop Nikolla'', ''Todorec Nikoto'', ''Stan Mali'', ''Dimitri Kozmo'', ''Petko Stajko'', ''Stajo'' son of ''Semini'', ''Gjin Franku'', ''Bogdo Kalini'', ''Frank Radoslani'', ''Gjon Prokopi'', ''Petër Rado'', ''Gjon Birko'', ''Simo Birko'', ''Stan Kaliqi'', ''Pejko Stajo'', ''Miho Makini'' (possibly, ''Magjini''), ''Gjergj Budisha'', ''Manec Berishi'', ''Dimitri Kostovi'', ''Gjoni'' son of ''Rado'', ''Dimitri'' son of ''Miho'', ''Dimitri'' son of ''Aleko'', and ''Nenada'' son of ''Niko''. Librazhd was one of the newest cities in Albania and was proclaimed as such on 18 February 1960. Librazhd is also famous for being connected to the Via Egnatia road that stretched from

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

all the way on to Durrës. The people of Librazhd also participated in the Albanian Declaration of Independence in the 28 of November 1912. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, two battalions of the National Liberation Movement ambushed defeated

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

troops near Librazhd, killing over 200 German soldiers.

Transportation

Trains

There is no train line that can go to or from Librazhd. Elbasan-Pogradec extension has been closed.

Highways

The only main road in Librazhd is the SH 3 (, ) that starts in

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 ...

and ends in Korçë and passes by Librazhd.

Sports

The

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club KF Sopoti, a team founded in 1948, is based in Librazhd. The team plays its home matches at Sopoti Stadium, built in 1964 and capable of accommodating 3,000 spectators. While participating in the Albanian Second Division group A, the team faced challenges with the outdated stadium during the 2017-18 season. However, the stadium has undergone renovations since then.

Notable residents

* Taulant Balla (born 1979), politician

References

External links

Municipality of Librazhd Official Website

Librazhd tourist guide

{{Librazhd div Municipalities in Elbasan County Administrative units of Librazhd Towns in Albania