Lezhë
Encyclopedia
Lezhë is a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in northwest Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, in the district and county with the same name. It is located at 41.79°N 19.65°E and has a population of about 27,500 (2009 est). In ancient history it was an ancient Greek colony named Lissus.
History
The city was founded around 385 BC385 BC
Year 385 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Capitolinus, Cornelius, Capitolinus, Papirius, Capitolinus and Fidenas...
as a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
colony by Dionysius I of Syracuse
Dionysius I of Syracuse
Dionysius I or Dionysius the Elder was a Greek tyrant of Syracuse, in what is now Sicily, southern Italy. He conquered several cities in Sicily and southern Italy, opposed Carthage's influence in Sicily and made Syracuse the most powerful of the Western Greek colonies...
by the name of Lissos (Λισσός), as part of a strategy by Dionysius to secure Syracusan trade routes along the Adriatic. Diodorus calls it a polis
Polis
Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
. The city was separated into sectors by diateichisma and there are elements of Syracusan architecture in part of its walls. At a later time it came under Illyrian rule. In 211 BC, Philip V
Philip V
Philip V may refer to:* Philip V of Macedon * Philip V of France * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy * Philip V of Spain...
of Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
captured the citadel of Akrolissos, and Lissos surrendered to him. The town was later recovered by the Illyrians. It was in Lissos that Perseus of Macedon
Perseus of Macedon
Perseus was the last king of the Antigonid dynasty, who ruled the successor state in Macedon created upon the death of Alexander the Great...
negotiated an alliance against Rome with the Illyrian king Gentius
Gentius
Gentius was the last Illyrian king of the Ardiaean State. The name appears to derive from PIE *g'en- "to beget", cognate to Latin gens, gentis "kin, clan, race". He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept relations with Rome very strong...
, and it was from Lissos that Gentius organized his army against the Romans. Lissos maintained a large degree of municipal autonomy under both Macedonian and Illyrian rule, as evidenced by the coins minted there. In Roman times, the city was part of the province of Epirus Nova, its name Latinized as Lissus.
From 2004 an excavation started around the ancient Acropolis of Lissos and the Skanderbeg Memorial, which revealed Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine buildings, tombs and other findings.
In Middle Ages Lissus (then known as Alessio) frequently changed masters until the Venetians took possession of it in 1386. It still belonged to them when Skanderbeg died, but In 1478 it feel into the hands of Turks, with the exception of a short period (1501–1506) when it returned to Venetian domination. Because it was under the Venetian control, it was chosen in 1444 by George Castrioti (Skanderbeg) as a neutral place for the convention of Albanian, Serbian, Dalmatian and other lords of the area aiming at organizing their common defence against the Turks.
According to other historians, Lezhë is considered as the site of the League of Lezhë
League of Lezhë
The League of Lezhë was an alliance of Albanian Principalities forged in Lezhë on the 2nd of March 1444. It was initiated and organised by Skanderbeg with the aim of uniting the Albanian principalities that had been founded in the 12th - 14th centuries, to fight the Ottoman Armies...
where Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg or Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu , widely known as Skanderbeg , was a 15th-century Albanian lord. He was appointed as the governor of the Sanjak of Dibra by the Ottomans in 1440...
united the Albanian princes in the fight against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Skanderbeg was buried in the cathedral of Lezhë which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
.
Lezhë has also been known by the Italian form of its name, Alessio and in 19th c. as Alise, Lesch, Eschenderari, or Mrtav (Catholic Encycl.).
Sport
The association football club is KS Besëlidhja LezhëKS Besëlidhja Lezhë
Klubi Sportiv Besëlidhja Lezhë is an Albanian football club based in the northern city of Lezhë. Their home ground is the Brian Filipi Stadium which has a seating capacity of 7,000.-History:...
.
Although primarily concerned with football, KS Besëlidhja also participates in sports such as wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
and beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
.
Notable people
- Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the National Hero of Albania
- Anton KryezeziAnton KryezeziAnton Kryezezi was an Albanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.- Life :Born in Lezhë, northern Albania around 1710 he joined the Franciscan orders and studied in the Urban College. He served as abbot in Mirditë until 1750, when he was ordained as bishop of Diocese of Lezhë, a post in which he...
, Bishop of Lezhë
- Leke DukagjiniLekë DukagjiniLekë III Dukagjini was an Albanian prince who fought against the Ottoman Empire. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit, a code of law instituted in northern Albania.- Biography :...
, prince Lek Dukagjini - Gjergj FishtaGjergj FishtaGjergj Fishta was an Albanian Franciscan friar, poet, rilindas, and a translator. Notably he was the chairman of the commission of the Congress of Monastir, which sanctioned the Albanian alphabet. In 1937 he completed and published his epic masterpiece Lahuta e Malcis, an epic poem written in Gheg...
, priest and poet Gjergj FishtaGjergj FishtaGjergj Fishta was an Albanian Franciscan friar, poet, rilindas, and a translator. Notably he was the chairman of the commission of the Congress of Monastir, which sanctioned the Albanian alphabet. In 1937 he completed and published his epic masterpiece Lahuta e Malcis, an epic poem written in Gheg... - Hafiz Ali Ulqinaku, imam and teacher at the start of the XX century
- Ndoc GjetjaNdoc GjetjaNdoc Gjetja was an Albanian poet. He died after a long illness.-External links:*...
, poet http://ndocgjetja.blogspot.com/ - Henri Ndreka, famous soccer player, capped with AlbaniaAlbania national football teamThe Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
- Robert GrizhaRobert GrizhaRobert Grizha is an Albanian footballer. He plays as a defender for KS Shkumbini in the Albanian Superliga. His former teams are KS Besëlidhja Lezhë and Partizani Tirana in Albania and Ukrainian club FC Vorskla Poltava....
, soccer player now at KS Skenderbeu
See also
- Lezhë CastleLezhë CastleLezhë Castle is a castle dominating the city of Lezhë, northern Albania. Its highest point is 186 metres high....
- List of cities in Albania
- Drin RiverDrin RiverThe Drin is the longest river in Albania with a total length of . It has two distributaries, one going directly into the Adriatic Sea, the other one into the Bojana River .- Origin :...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of LezhëRoman Catholic Diocese of LezhëThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Lezhë is a diocese located in the city of Lezhë in the Ecclesiastical province of Shkodër–Pult in Albania.-Leadership:* Bishops of Lezhë ** Bishop Ottavio Vitale, R.C.J....
- List of ancient cities in Illyria
External links
- Lezha Online
- Municipality of Lezha
- Lezha Travel & Tourism
- Shengjini Travel & Tourism
- timetables for Lezha
Photo galleries
- Photo annotations in Albanian