Bajram Curri (town)

Bajram Curri
Administrative unit
Bajram Curri
Bajram Curri
Flag of Bajram Curri
Flag
Bajram Curri is located in Albania
Bajram Curri
Bajram Curri
Bajram Curri is located in Balkans
Bajram Curri
Bajram Curri
Coordinates: 42°21′30″N 20°4′34″E / 42.35833°N 20.07611°E / 42.35833; 20.07611}
CountryAlbania
CountyKukës
MunicipalityTropojë
Named forBajram Curri
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total
5,340
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
8701–8706
Area code+355 (0) 213
Vehicle registrationBC
Map

Bajram Curri (Albanian: [bajˈɾam t͡suri]), formerly known as Kolgecaj until 1952, is a town and administrative unit in the municipality of Tropojë, northeastern Albania, within the historical ethnographic region of the Gjakova Highlands. The town is located in a remote and mountainous region of the Albanian Alps, within the Valbonë Valley, and close to the border with Kosovo. It is named after Bajram Curri, a national hero who fought for ethnic Albanians, first against the Ottoman Empire and later against the Albanian government.

History

Bajram Curri was founded in the year 1957 to serve as the center of the Tropoja district. The village was previously known as Kolgecaj. The newly formed city was built based on socialist principles. Historic Tropojë region was inhabited by the Berisha tribe and due to it geographic location had trading routes to the east (Kosovo vilayet) and to the west (Scutari vilayet) making possible import products from the Adriatic Sea region. One of the main trade goods was salt, which was exchanged for agricultural products. The center of Tropojë was an old city of Gjakova in the high mountains. The mountain pass "Tropojë e Vjetër" was used to relocate herds of cattle to graze in the green fields during summer and to return in autumn. People from all over the region went through this pass during the summer to enjoy fresh and cool air in high mountains. In modern times, these highlands also attract foreign tourists, especially from Europe and Israel.

Geography

Bajram Curri is located down the valley of the river Valbonë. It is the main access point by road to the villages of Valbona and Rrogam. Water from the mountains flow into the waters of the Valbonë, the latter being famous for having the clearest river water in Albania. It is an administrative unit and the seat of the municipality of Tropojë.[2]

Climate

Bajram Curri has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).

Seeing silent lightning is very common in the summer nights of Bajram Curri.

Climate data for Bajram Curri
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.9
(40.8) 		7.5
(45.5) 		12.2
(54.0) 		16.9
(62.4) 		21.9
(71.4) 		25.8
(78.4) 		28.5
(83.3) 		28.5
(83.3) 		24.3
(75.7) 		17.8
(64.0) 		11.2
(52.2) 		6.7
(44.1) 		17.2
(62.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.6
(34.9) 		3.7
(38.7) 		7.6
(45.7) 		11.9
(53.4) 		16.5
(61.7) 		20.3
(68.5) 		22.6
(72.7) 		22.4
(72.3) 		18.5
(65.3) 		13.0
(55.4) 		7.6
(45.7) 		3.5
(38.3) 		12.4
(54.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.6
(29.1) 		−0.1
(31.8) 		3.1
(37.6) 		6.9
(44.4) 		11.1
(52.0) 		14.8
(58.6) 		16.7
(62.1) 		16.4
(61.5) 		12.8
(55.0) 		8.3
(46.9) 		4.1
(39.4) 		0.3
(32.5) 		7.7
(45.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 126
(5.0) 		114
(4.5) 		106
(4.2) 		105
(4.1) 		93
(3.7) 		65
(2.6) 		52
(2.0) 		58
(2.3) 		92
(3.6) 		119
(4.7) 		154
(6.1) 		151
(5.9) 		1,235
(48.7)
Source: [3]

Economy

The municipality of Tropojë has many agricultural products and is famous for its chestnuts, apples, nuts, grapes, and especially blueberries. Large reserves of platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, iridium, and osmium have been discovered in Tropojë. Albanian, Italian, and Chinese engineers, working for Albanian Minerals and Bytyci Sh.p.k in Tropojë, suggest the area may have more than 500 million tons of chrome ore and more than two billion tons of olivine in which 5-7 grams of platinum is present per ton. This gigantic body of ore is one of the largest in the world.

Demography

As of the 2011 census, the administrative unit of Bajram Curri had an estimated population of 5,340 of whom 2,717 were men and 2,623 women.[1]

Notable people

Azem Hajdari Square recently renovated in central Bajram Curri

References

  1. ^ a b Nurja, Ines. "Censusi i popullsisë dhe banesave/ Population and Housing Census–Kukës (2011)" (PDF). Tirana: Institute of Statistics (INSTAT). p. 39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). p. 6373. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Climate: Bajram Curri". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved April 29, 2019.