Librazhd District () was one of the 36

districts of Albania Districts ( or ) were first and second-level administrative subdivisions of Albania, administrative divisions of Albania from 19132000. Their number, size, and status changed over time. From 1991 to 2000, the 36 districts were organized into 12 ...

, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. It had a population of 72,520 in 2001, and an area of . It was formed as an administrative unit in 1958. It is in the east of the country, and its capital and administrative center was the town of

Librazhd Librazhd ( sq-definite, Librazhdi) is a town and a municipality in Elbasan County, southeast Albania. The municipality was reformed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Hotolisht, Librazhd, Lunik, Orenj ...

. The area of the former district includes most of the regions of the ethnographic region. Its territory is now part of

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: ...

: the

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and

Prrenjas Prrenjas (also written ''Përrenjas'', sq-definite, Përrenjasi) is a town and a municipality in Elbasan County, eastern Albania. The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Prrenjas, ...

Geography

Librazhd District has an administrative border of . The district is characterised by a mountainous landscape with scenic valleys, including glacial valleys above in the Polis Mountains. The

Shkumbin The Shkumbin (; ), also known as Shkembi, is a river in Albania. It is long and its drainage basin is . Its average discharge is . Etymology It derives from Latin ''Scampinus'' (recorded alternatively as ), which replaced the Illyrian name o ...

River is sourced in and traverses through the district. The average altitude is above sea level. The highest point is at the ''Red Peak'' of Shebenik Mountain. Librazhd District has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

. The average temperature is . The maximum temperature was recorded in 1957, while the minimum recorded temperature was in 1968 at . Precipitation averages 1363 mm per year. The

River has its source in the Librazhd District at ''Valamra'' and the ''Guri i Topit'' Mountain. The river is long and flows through the district for . The Shkumbin is fed by the waters of the ''Dushna'', ''Radicina'', ''Bushtrica'', ''Sheja'', ''Hotolisht'', ''Dragostunja'' streams. The Shkumbin flows through the town of

. The Rrapun River joins the Shkumbin at Murrash. The

Shebenik-Jabllanice National Park Shebenik National Park () is a national park in eastern Albania adjacent to the border with North Macedonia. It encompasses and is specifically marked by a mountainous landscape supplied with glacial lakes, valleys, dense coniferous and deciduous ...

is the Librazhd District's only national park and makes up approximately 33% of the district's area.

Flora and fauna

There are 1,857 species of flora in the district representing 57% of the total species of flora inhabiting Albania. Forests cover 47% of the district of which 37% are populated by

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

, 20%

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

and 15%

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

. The remainder is made up of shrubs and other foliage. 15% of the

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

flora in the district fall within the group known as ''Balkan Flora'' and are particular to this part of Europe. Amongst the herbaceous plants the most notable species endemic to the district are Leontopodium alpinum and Sideritis Rhoeseri. Of particular interest is a carnivorous plant species called Pinguicula hirtflora (known locally as ''Luletlyni''). The forests and mountains of the district are populated with

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

( Ursus arctos),

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

, and supposedly the Balkan Lynx. Birds include eagles (

Aquila chrysaetos The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of p ...

and

Gyps fulvus The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It is also known as the griffon vulture, although this term is sometimes used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confuse ...

buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Easte ...

s ( Nephron pesnopterus),

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

s ( Falcao tinnunculus) and the owl ( Bubo bubo).

History and culture

Evidence has been found to show the area was populated during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

from the remains of settlements found at ''Spathar'', ''Rrajce'', ''Karkavec'', ''Berzeshte'' and other places. An

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

n tribe called the Kandavët who give the region the name ''Kandavia'' populated the area in ancient times. The Romans moved into the area in around 220 BCE and subjugated the tribes living there (see

Illyrian Wars The Illyrian Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaei and Labeatae. In the ''First Illyrian War'', which lasted from 229 BC to 228 BC, Rome's concern was that the trade across the Adr ...

). During the Roman Occupation the

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a contin ...

was constructed through the area, linking

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

with

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

which was of great importance for commerce. The route of this ancient road is now utilised by a modern highway connecting

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 ...

with

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

via

Lake Ohrid Lake Ohrid is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more th ...

. Following the

Fall of Rome The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast ...

in 476 CE the region fell under the power of the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

centred at Constantinople until the arrival of the Turks in the 15th century. The

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

began to invade the area of the modern district from about 1415 onwards under the leadership of

Mehmed I Mehmed I (; – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi (, "the noble-born") or ''Kirişçi'' (, "lord's son"), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. Son of Sultan Bayezid I and his concubine Devlet Hatun, he fought with hi ...

. They were opposed by the local Arianitas family who ruled the area as vassals to the

Byzantine Emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

in Constantinople. The local prince Gjergj Arianit Komneni (also known as ''Gjergj Golemi'') was noted by the Ottoman chroniclers for his ferocious resistance to their advances, viz:

''With this uprising Arianiti accomplished great and unforgettable deeds which will last as long as life itself.'' (from Hallkokondili)

Gjergj Arianiti managed to resist the Ottoman advance throughout his tenure and in 1444 rose to support the revolt led by George Kastrioti, otherwise known as

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

– the Albanian national hero. He is known to have taken part in the Albanian League in

Lezhë Lezhë (, sq-definite, Lezha) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Lezhë County and Lezhë Municipality. It is one of Albania's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously i ...

which elected Skanderbeg their king. Arianiti fought alongside Skanderbeg at

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and ea ...

in 1448 and his daughter, Andronika, married Skanderbeg in 1451. Gjergj Arianiti died in 1461 and resistance to the Turks throughout the Librazhd district began to wane. Following his death the remaining members of the Arianiti family emigrated to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In 1479 the Ottoman Turks succeeded in conquering the Albanians who were forced to accept the Turks as their overlords until the 20th century. The region came to achieve a significant degree of autonomy during the latter years of the Ottoman Empire due to the harshness of the terrain and the talent for diplomacy and nepotism exercised by the local

Bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

liks who garnered significant influence with the Porte. During the 17th century, parts of the Librazhd district achieved a measure of self-rule. This process continued up until the uprising of Tanzimati in 1834 when the whole Librazhd District attempted to throw off Ottoman rule. They were unsuccessful this time, but a local leader by the name Halit Berzeshta emerged who was to lead and inspire the Albanian resistance until his death in 1909. In 1912 the population enthusiastically rose in revolt against the Ottoman Empire and took their part in the realisation of Albanian Independence that same year. In the 1940s, some 1,100 local men formed into two battalions fought the occupying

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

and helped liberate the area. Their exploits were famous throughout Albania and from their number are recognised 79 national martyrs. FromShebeniktowardsOhrid

Life in the Librazhd District has been badly affected by the closing of many traditional industries, in particular the mining industry due to an inability to meet modern European environmental and

health and safety Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work (i.e., while performing duties required by one's occupation). OSH is re ...

standards. The construction of a highway linking the town with

and

through

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

has been a positive development.

Cultural traditions

Librazhd costume is characterized by garments made from

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

and

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

. The choice of colours is considered in Albania to be particularly noteworthy. Garments are traditionally decorated with an eagle, star, snake, ram, geometric figures, plants and flowers. Located at the crossroads of northern and southern Albania, the wearers folk costumes in the district are a combination of those in both

Gheg Gheg or Geg (Gheg Albanian: ''gegnisht'', Standard ) is one of the two major varieties of Albanian, the other being Tosk. The geographic dividing line between the two varieties is the Shkumbin River, which winds its way through central Alba ...

and

Tosk Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is ...

culture. The flattened form of ''

qeleshe The , also known as and , is a white brimless felt skull cap traditionally worn by Albanians. It has spread throughout Albanian-inhabited territories, and is today part of the traditional costume of the Albanians. The height and shape of the ...

'' skull cap traditional to the south is usually worn by men in the countryside.

is the dominant

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

dialect spoken in the district, although in many the villages north of the Shkumbin,

can be heard. Additionally in some of the villages bordering the Bulqizë district and those near Macedonia, there are a number of Golloborda Macedonian families who speak

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

. Most people in the district are

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s who live amongst smaller communities of

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Evangelicals Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...

, and Orthodox Christians.

Economy

Mining has been central to Librazhd District since

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 ...

times, in particular the mining of

nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...

chromium Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium ...

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

bauxite Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

. Large mines operated in the area, in particular at Farret, Katjel, Bushtric,

Hotolisht Hotolisht is a village and a former municipality in the Elbasan County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Librazhd. The population at the 2011 census was 5,706.

, Dardh and Qarrisht. Most of these mines are now inactive. The district used to have a nationally famous

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

industry. Wine is still produced and some timber mills are still active. Mineral water under the brand ''Sopoti'' is bottled at Spathar and is distributed throughout Albania. Because Librazhd is renowned for the medicinal qualities of its natural mineral water, the maintenance of the water industry makes Librazhd residents particularly proud.

Administrative divisions

The district consisted of the following

: *

Lunik Lunik () is a band from Switzerland. There are currently three members. Lunik started in 1997 with Adi Amstutz, Luk Zimmermann, Mats Marti, Walo Müller and Anton Höglhammer. Singer Jaël joined the band in 1998 and Anton Höglhammer left the l ...

Orenjë Orenjë is a village and a former municipality in the Elbasan County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Librazhd. The population at the 2011 census was 3,883.

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 *

Qukës Qukës is a former municipality in the Elbasan County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Prrenjas Prrenjas (also written ''Përrenjas'', sq-definite, Përrenjasi) is a town and a muni ...

Rrajcë Rrajcë is a village and a former municipality in Elbasan County, in eastern Albania. As of the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the municipality of Prrenjas. The population at the 2019 census was 12,121.

* Steblevë *

Stravaj Stravaj is a village and a former municipality in the Elbasan County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Prrenjas. The population at the 2011 census was 2,427.

Notable people

* Gjergj Arianit Komneni * Halit Berzeshta from Berzeshta *

Hasan Moglica Hoxhë Hasan Moglica commonly referred as Hoxhë Moglica, was an Albanian alim, müderris, engineer, philosopher, patriot, nationalist figure and proclaimed as martyr of Albanian language and nation by the Albanian government. Life and work Ear ...

from Moglicë

References

*Most of the information on this page has come from Librazhdi Albania (2000), , Shtypur në Shtypshkronjën TOENA / CIP Katelogizimi në botim - B.K. Tiranë (A. Roçi)

External links

Municipality of Librazhd

Librazhdi Online – In Albanian
{{Authority control Districts of Albania Geography of Elbasan County Albanian ethnographic regions