Tropojë (; sq-definite, Tropoja) is a

municipality 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 ...

Kukës County Kukës County (; sq, Qarku i Kukësit) is a landlocked county in northeastern Albania, with the capital in Kukës. The county spans and had a total population of 74,388 people as of 2021. The county borders on the counties of Dibër, Lezhë ...

, northeastern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

, within the historical ethnographic region of the

Gjakova Highlands The Highlands of Gjakova or Gjakova Highlands ( sq, Malësia e Gjakovës) refers to the mountainous ethnographic region in the eastern Albanian Alps that sits between north-eastern Albania and western Kosovo, serving as the historical centres of ...

. The municipality consists of the administrative units of

Bajram Curri Bajram Curri (16 January 1862 – 29 March 1925) was an Albanian chieftain, politician and activist who struggled for the independence of Albania, later struggling for Kosovo's incorporation into it following the 1913 Treaty of London. He w ...

, Bujan, Bytyç, Fierzë, Lekbibaj, Llugaj, Margegaj and Tropojë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Bajram Curri. As of the Institute of Statistics estimate from the 2011 census, there were 4,117 people residing in the municipal unit Tropojë and 20,517 in Tropojë Municipality.

Etymology

Tropojë's old name was ''Trebopolje'' and is recorded in

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

medieval charters and Ottoman registers. The word itself comes from the old Slavic ''trebiti'', ‘to clean’, and ''polje'', ‘field’, i.e. ‘clean field’. Tropojë used to be more commonly known as Malësia e Gjakoves.

History

The region was inhabited by Illyrian tribes. Archaeological evidence found in the area, such as castles or

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or '' kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones b ...

show that the area was populated since the ancient time. The region lies in the geographical span of the

Dardani The Dardani (; grc, Δαρδάνιοι, Δάρδανοι; la, Dardani) or Dardanians were a Paleo-Balkan people, who lived in a region that was named Dardania after their settlement there. They were among the oldest Balkan peoples, and their ...

tribes.

Geography

Tropojë Municipality is located on the bank of

Valbonë River The Valbona ( sq, Valbonë) is a river in northern Albania. It is still relatively untouched. Its source is in the Accursed Mountains, near the border with Montenegro. The Valbonë flows generally east through the municipality Margegaj (mount ...

between the

Albanian Alps The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...

in northeastern Albania bordering

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

to the northwest and

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...

to the northeast and east. Valbonë Valley National Park sprawls in the northwest of Tropojë and protects the Valbonë Valley and the Gashi River, which has been inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

list as portion of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. The area of the municipality is .

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

, Tropojë falls under the periphery of the

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(Csb) zone with an average annual temperature of .

Notable people

Albana Osmani Albana Osmani (born 17 August 1980) is an Albanian TV presenter, philanthropist and television personality known for her appearance on Top Channel. Biography Osmani was born in Tropojë and moved aged 13 to Tirana, where she went to high sch ...

* Arben Bajraktaraj * Azem Hajdari *

Besnik Mustafaj Besnik Bajram Mustafaj (born 1958) is an Albanian writer and diplomat. Career Mustafaj is a former Albanian ambassador to France. He became 62nd foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minist ...

* Binak Alia *

Erjon Dollapi Erjon Dollapi (born 16 March 1993 in Tropojë, Albania) is an Albanian-born rugby league footballer who plays for the London Skolars in league 1. Early years He was born in Albania but moved to London, England as a child. Playing career Early ...

* Fatime Sokoli * Haxhi Zeka * Mic Sokoli *

Sali Berisha Sali Ram Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian conservative politician and former cardiologist who served as the second President of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and Prime Minister from 2005 to 2013. He is also the current chairman of ...

* Shpend Dragobia * Skënder Gega * Soni Malaj

Notes

References

External links

tropoje.gov.al
– Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Tropoje Administrative units of Tropojë Albanian ethnographic regions Gegëri Municipalities in Kukës County Towns in Albania