Lushnjë
Encyclopedia
Lushnjë (ˈluʃɲə) or Lushnje is a city in Central-West 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...
located at 40.95°N, 19.71°E. It is the center of the District of Lushnje in the County of Fier and has a population of about 54,813. The town was founded in late medieval times by a Turkish
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...
widow called Salushe. She built a rest stop on the road from Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
to Berat
Berat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
, giving birth to the town. As of 2000, old men still called the town Salushe.
In January 1920, Lushnje was a provisional capital of Albania and the place of the Congress of Lushnje
Congress of Lushnjë
The Congress of Lushnjë was held in five sessions on January 27-January 31, 1920 in Lushnjë, Albania by Albanian nationalists and had as its goal the study of the Albanian situation and the measures to be adopted in order to save Albania from being partitioned among other countries after World War I...
. Chieftains of Albania assembled in the town and declared Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
first a provisional and then the definitive capital of 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...
.
The Lushnje district is known as a main provider of agricultural products to the rest of the country. It is one of very few field districts of mountainous Albania.
During the Communist Regime the town had a number of factories: among them food processing and building materials, which were closed down for one reason or another in the aftermath of the fall of Communism.
3 km away from Lushnje is the Savra Field. This field is on the Lushnje-Fier road. Here the first Albanian-Turkish battle occurred in 1385. In this battle Balsha II was killed. Along with Fier, Lushnje was the main district of the concentration camps during the Communist Regime; some of the camps included the villages of Savër, Gradishtë, Bedat, Gjazë, Rrapëz, Plug, etc.
Notable people
- Vaçe ZelaVaçe ZelaVaçe Zela is an Albanian singer. She began her career at a young age and in 1962 was the first to win the Albanian Song Festival . A 10 time winner of the festival, Vaçe gained fame during the communist era and was awarded the Merited Artist of Albania prize in 1973 and the People's Artist of...
, singer - Hysni Zela, singer
- Margarita XhepaMargarita XhepaMargarita Xhepa is an Albanian stage and film actress. She began her career in Tirana, at the National Theatre . There she acted in plays by Anton Chekov, Friedrich Schiller, and Nikolai Gogol, among others....
, actress - Qemal bej MullaiQemal bej MullaiQemal Mullai was a 19th century Albanian politician. He was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.-References:...
, founding father of modern Albania - Ferit bej VokopolaFerit bej VokopolaFerit Vokopola was a 19th century Albanian politician. He was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.-References:...
, founding father of modern Albania - Nebi Efendi SefaNebi Efendi SefaNebi Sefa was a 19th century Albanian politician. He was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.-References:...
, founding father of modern Albania