Albania
> Shkodra
One of Albania's oldest cities, an important economic
and cultural center with around 81,000 inhabitants.
It lies on southern part of the plain of Mbishkodra,
next to the Shkodra Lake (Liqeni i Shkodr's),
between the rivers Drin and Bun', the mountain
of Tarabosh, and the Rozafa Castle.
A street in Shkodra |
In former times, Shkodra (pronounced: Shko-drah)
was known as Scodra. It was founded around the 4th
century B.C. on the hills around the Castle of Shkodra
(Rozafa). It was the center of the Illyrian tribe
Labeat, and during the rule of Gent it became the
capital of the Illyrian kingdom. It was taken by
the Romans in the year 168 B.C. One of the most
important trade and military routes that came down
from the northern part of the Balkan peninsula,
passed through Shkodra, continuing to Kosova and
further. In 1040, Shkodra was captured by the Serbs
and became the center of Zeta. During the 14th century
it became the center of the Balsha feudal family.
In 1396 it was taken by the Venetians.
Shkodra resisted two major Ottoman attacks, in
1474 and 1478-1479, when the city was entirely
surrounded by Ottoman forces. It fell under Turkish
rule after a heroic struggle in 1479. After the
Turkish occupation the city was devastated, and
a large number of the population fled. Around
the 17th century, the city began to prosper and
it became the center of the sanjak, Turkish administrative
units smaller than vilayets. It became the economic
center of northern Albania, its craftsmen produced
fabric, silk, arms, and silver artifacts. Two
story stone houses were built, the bazaar, and
the Bridge of Mesi (Ura e Mesit) over the Kir
river, built during the second half of the 18th
century, over 100 meters long, with 13 arcs of
stone, the largest one being 22 meters wide and
12 meters tall.
In the 18th century Shkodra became the center
of the pashallek of Shkodra, under the rule of
the Bushati family, which ruled from the year
1757 to 1831. After the fall of the pashallek,
the people of Shkodra had a number of uprisings
against the Ottomans, in the years 1833-1836,
1854, 1861-1862, and 1869.
Shkodra became an important trade center in the
second half of the 19th century. Aside from being
the center of the vilayet of Shkodra, it was an
important trading center for the entire Bakan
peninsula. It had over 3500 shops, and clothing,
leather, tobacco, and gun powder were some of
the major products of Shkodra. A special administration
was established to handle trade, a trade court,
and a directorate of postage services with other
countries. Other countries had opened consulates
in Shkodra ever since 1718. Obot and Ulqin served
as ports for Shkodra, and later on Sh'ngjin. The
Jesuit seminar and the Franciscan committee were
opened in the 19th century.
Shkodra played an important role during the League
of Prizren, the Albanian liberation movement.
The people of Shkodra participated in battles
to protect Albanian lands. The branch of the League
of Prizren for Shkodra, which had its own armed
unit, fought for the protection of Plava and Gucia,
Hoti and Gruda, and the war for the protection
of Ulqin.
In the 19th century, Shkodra was also known as
a cultural center. The Bushati Library, built
during the 1840s, served as a center for the League
of Prizren's branch for Shkodra. Many books were
collected in libraries of Catholic missionaries
working in Shkodra. Literary, cultural, and sports
associatons were formed, such as "Bashkimi" and
"Agimi." The first Albanian newspapers and publications
printed in Albania came out of the printing press
of Shkodra. The Marubi family of photographers
began working in Shkodra, which left behind over
150,000 negatives from the period of the Albanian
liberation movement, the rise of the Albanian
flag in Vlora, and life in Albanian towns during
the end of the 19th and the begining of the 20th
century.
During the Balkan Wars and World War I, Shkodra
was sought by Montenegro and Serbia. The people
of Shkodra had resisted for seven months the surrounding
of the town by Serbian and Montenegrin armies.
The occupiers finally entered the town in April,
1913, and severely damaged the town and set the
bazaar on fire. The Serbian and Montenegrin armies
were compelled to leave in May, 1913, in accordance
with the London Conference of Ambassadors, which
alloted Shkodra to the new country of Albania.
During World War I, Montenegrin forces once again
entered Shkodra on June 27th, 1915. In January
of 1916, Shkodra was captured by Austria-Hungary
and was the center of the zone of their occupation.
After World War I, the international military
administration of Albania was temporarily located
in Shkodra, and in March, 1920, Shkodra was put
under the administration of the national government
of Tirana. In the second half of 1920, Shkodra
resisted another threat, the military intervention
of the forces of the Yugoslav kingdom.
Shkodra was the center of democratic movements
of the years 1921-1924. The democratic opposition
won the majority of votes for the Constitutional
Assembly, and on May 31st, 1924, the democratic
forces took over the town and from Shkodra headed
to Tirana.
From 1924 to 1939, Shkodra had a slow industrial
development, small factories that produced food,
textile, and cement were opened. From 43 of such
in 1924, the number rose to 70 in 1938. In 1924,
Shkodra had 20,000 inhabitants, the number grew
to 29,000 in 1938.
Shkodra was the seat of the Catholic archiepiscopacy
and had a number of religious schools. The first
laic school was opened here in 1913, and the State
Gymnasium was opened in 1922. It was the center
of many cultural associations, such as "Vllaznia."
In 1937, the Communist Group of Shkodra was formed,
the main communist organization of Albania, which
spread its ideology to the rest of the country.
During World War II, the Shkodrans fought against
the Italian forces, and they were later resisted
with demonstrations and strikes. The resistance
movement was organized by the communists, which
later formed Partisan fighting units. The town
was liberated from the Germans on November 19th,
1944.
Shkodra was a major center of the democratic movement
of 1990 and 1991. Many demonstrations and clashes
with the police occurred here, when the population
demanded an end to the brutal communist regime
of Albania.
Shkodra is one of the major industrial centers
of Albania. The mechanical and electronic industries
are the most developed, preceding are the food
and building materials industries. Some of the
major manufacturing facilities are the factory
of electric wires and cables, wood processing
plants, factories of leather and clothing, tobacco,
and food.
Shkodra is a major cultural center of Albania.
The Pedagogical Institute and a branch of the
University of Tirana are located in Shkodra. The
main library has over 250,000 titles. The Cultural
Center, the branch of the Artists and Writers
Association, and the "Migjeni" Theater are other
major cultural institutions of Shkodra. The Museum
of History, Museum of Education, the House of
the Shkodra Branch of the League of Prizren, the
Gallery of Arts, are some of the museums of Shkodra.
The city retains its characteristic appearance,
with narrow streets with tall stone walls on both
sides, and tall gates, but a large part of it
has been transformed after World War II, with
straight wide streets and tall residential and
public buildings. The city expanded with several
new quarters, and the industrial zone was built
north of the city.
Some of the cultural monuments of Shkodra are
the Castle of Shkodra (Rozafa), the Turkish Bath
(hamam), the Mosque of Plumbi, and many old houses
with an appearance characteristic to Shkodra.
The city lies next to the lake and the residents
use the beach of Shiroka for recreation.
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