Lushnjë

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Lushnjë
Municipality
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Lushnjë is located in Albania
Lushnjë
Lushnjë
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Country  Albania
County Fier
Government
 • Mayor Fatos Tushe (SP)
Area
 • Municipality 372.72 km2 (143.91 sq mi)
Elevation 9 m (30 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Municipality 83,659
 • Municipality density 220/km2 (580/sq mi)
 • Administrative Unit 31,105
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal Code 9001
Area Code 035
Vehicle registration LU
Website www.bashkialushnje.gov.al

Lushnjë (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈluʃɲə]) (Lushnje (ˈluʃɲe) in Lushnjë's own dialect) is a town and a municipality in Central-West Albania. It is located in the County of Fier.[1] The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Allkaj, Ballagat, Bubullimë, Dushk, Fier-Shegan, Golem, Hysgjokaj, Karbunarë, Kolonjë, Krutje and Lushnjë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Lushnjë.[2] The total population is 83,659 (2011 census), in a total area of 372.72 km2.[3] The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 31,105.[4]

History

The town was founded in late medieval times by a widow called Salushe. She built a rest stop called Hani i Salushes on the road from Durrës to Berat and Fier, giving birth to the town. As of 2000, old men still called the town Salushe. Lushnjë is the only town in Albania founded by a woman.

In January 1920, Lushnjë was a provisional capital of Albania and the place of the Congress of Lushnjë. Chieftains of Albania assembled in the town and declared Tirana first a provisional and then the definitive capital of Albania.

The Lushnjë region 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. Stadium of Lushnjë Abdurrahman Roza Haxhiu was the only stadium in the country where women were soccer fans as much as men were, and attended the soccer matches. This shows that the town was exceptionally liberal, peaceful and emancipated. Unfortunately that tradition has expired, and now Lushnjë resembles all the neighboring towns.

3 km away from Lushnjë is the Savra Field. This field is on the Lushnjë-Fier road. Here the first battle between Principality of Zeta and Ottoman Empire occurred in 1385 (the Battle of Savra). In this battle Balsha II was killed. Along with Fier, Lushnjë 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.

Data from the 1918 census shows that the population of Lushnjë was split almost evenly between Muslims and Christians at the time of independence from the Ottoman Empire. [5] The Christians are mostly Orthodox, but there is a Catholic minority, while similarly the Muslims are mostly Sunni with a Bektashi minority. In modern days, like elsewhere in Albania, people in Lushnja tend not to be very religious if religious at all, regardless of whatever religion their ancestors professed.

Notable landmarks

Notable landmarks include Abdurrahman Roza Haxhiu Stadium, Vaçe Zela theater, Lushnjë Catholic Church, Lushnjë Mosque, Congress of Lushnjë Museum, Lushnjë History Museum.

Notable people

Twin towns - Sister cities

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Mayors of Lushnjë

  • Kujtim Haxhiu 1992-1996
  • Agim Fuga 1996-1999
  • Ylli Myftiu 1999-2003
  • Kadri Gega 2003-2007
  • Albert Sanxhaku 2007-2011
  • Fatos Tushe 2011-2015

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Law nr. 115/2014
  3. Interactive map administrative territorial reform
  4. 2011 census results
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found., Seiner's 1918 data mapped here: http://www-gewi.uni-graz.at/seiner/density.html

External links