Jump to content

Kukës

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Korabi (talk | contribs) at 17:43, 19 August 2006 (→History). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

42°04′N 20°25′E / 42.067°N 20.417°E / 42.067; 20.417 Kukës (Albanian: Kukës or Kukësi) is a town in Albania located at 42.09°N, 20.43°E in the district and county with the same name. It has a population of about 16,000 (2003 est). The town is set among the mountains of northern Albania, near the border with Kosovo. It is famous for its role during the Kosovo conflict of the late 1990s, when it held a large population of refugees.


History

The town was relocated as part of a hydroelectric scheme. The old Kukës was submerged beneath an artificial lake in 1976, the lake being held back by crumbling Chinese-built dams. 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, 2468m over the sea level. The district is improverished, with poor road connections, and major problems with crime.

Kukës was briefly on the world stage during the Kosovo conflict when many hundreds of thousands of Kosovan refugees crossed the frontier and were housed in camps in and around Kukes. There is a mosque and a closed alpine-style hotel, part of a failed attempt to establish a tourist industry there. OSCE maintained a villa there. Being close to the border, the town seems to exist mainly on the smuggling of goods without paying duties in the border.

A popular spot is a place just off the main square called the Bar America where the speciality is animal head. There is also a local historical museum and a carpet factory. The food industry is confined only to production of alcoholic drinks produced in a drink factory, and to some local small workshops producing drinks and dairy products.

See also


Stub icon

This article about a specific Albanian location is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kukës&oldid=70614845"