Valbona (Albania)

Valbonë
Valbona
( Designation in an indefinite and definite form )

42.453333333333 19.887777777778 932Coordinates: 42 ° 27 ' N , 19 ° 53' E

Basic data

Qark :

Kukës

Municipality :

Tropoja

Height :

932 m above sea level A.

View across the river to the center of the village

Valbona ( Albanian also Valbonë ) is a village in the Albanian Alps in the north-east of the country.

geography

The place is located in the municipality of Tropoja around 20 kilometers northwest of Bajram Curr . Valbona used to belong to the municipality of Margegaj, which was dissolved in 2015. Valbona lies in the valley of the Valbona river of the same name at 932 m above sea level. A. and is surrounded by high mountains with peaks over 2400 meters. The highest are the Jezerca ( 2694 m above sea level ), the Maja Grykat e Hapëta ( 2625 m above sea level ), the Maja e Brijasit ( 2567 m above sea level ), the Maja e Zhaporës ( 2561 m above sea level) . A. ), the Kollata ( 2552 m above sea level ) with the secondary peak Zla Kolata ( 2534 m above sea level ) and the Maja e Rosit ( 2524 m above sea level ). To the west of the village is the Jezerca, the second highest mountain in Albania.

tourism

One of numerous guest houses in the valley

The destroyed hotel from communist times in a photo from 2009

In communist Albania, Valbona was a resort. The holiday home was destroyed in 1997. In the meantime, however, numerous small restaurants and a few hotels have emerged. Many residents offer accommodation in guest rooms. The one-day hike over the Valbona Pass to Theth is popular with tourists . The whole area around the village is part of the Valbonatal National Park .

The Peaks of the Balkans long-distance hiking trail leads through Valbona .

religion

The residents of Valbona are Muslim, while those of the neighboring village of Rragam , further down the valley, are Catholic.

The village and surrounding mountains seen from Kukaj

Web links

Commons : Valbona - collection of images, videos and audio files

Journey to Valbona (English)

Individual evidence

↑ Catherine Bohne: Dear New York Times. In: Journey to Valbona. March 31, 2013, accessed on May 2, 2014 (English): “Oh - and by the way, Valbona is not Catholic. The first person to settle permanently in Valbona 12 generations ago (one Selim Pretash, founder of the Selimaj fis or clan) received his land grant from the Ottomans in return for demonstrating his commitment to developing a community by building a mill. Ottomans tended to grant civil contracts to good Muslims, so hey-presto, the area became "Muslim." There is an enclave of Catholics - of whom my good friend Kol Gjoni (whose mustaches are truly fearsome!) Is one - in Rrogam, at the other end of the valley - they hopped over here from Theth some 50 or so years ago. They were trying (alas, unsuccessfully it turns out) to avoid the collectivization of their goats. "

[1] Catherine Bohne: Dear New York Times. In: Journey to Valbona. March 31, 2013, accessed on May 2, 2014 (English): “Oh - and by the way, Valbona is not Catholic. The first person to settle permanently in Valbona 12 generations ago (one Selim Pretash, founder of the Selimaj fis or clan) received his land grant from the Ottomans in return for demonstrating his commitment to developing a community by building a mill. Ottomans tended to grant civil contracts to good Muslims, so hey-presto, the area became "Muslim." There is an enclave of Catholics - of whom my good friend Kol Gjoni (whose mustaches are truly fearsome!) Is one - in Rrogam, at the other end of the valley - they hopped over here from Theth some 50 or so years ago. They were trying (alas, unsuccessfully it turns out) to avoid the collectivization of their goats. "