Bajram Curri (town)


Bajram Curri is a town situated in northern of Albania, near the border with Kosovo, in a remote, mostly mountainous region. The town is named after Bajram Curri, a national hero who fought for ethnic Albanians, first against the Ottoman Empire and later against the Albanian government. It is the center of Tropoja District. The town is located in the Valbonë Valley and is the main access point by road to touristic sights and villages of Valbona located in the Prokletije mountains. Bajram Curri is the gateway to Valbona Valley and Lake Koman, both of which are must-sees while in the Kukës Region.

History

Bajram Curri was founded in the year 1957 to serve as the centre of the district of Tropoja. The village was previously known as Kolgecaj. The newly formed city was build based on socialist principles.

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, then latter being famous for having the clearest river water in Albania.
At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Tropojë.

Demographics

The population at the 2011 census was 5,340.

Economy

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 platinum is 5-7 grams present per ton. This gigantic body of ore is one of the largest in the world.

Climate

Bajram Curri has a humid subtropical climate.

Notable people