Introduction
City in Albania
Municipality in AlbaniaKukës
KukësiMunicipalityFrom the top, View over Kukës, Palace of Culture, Kukës street scene, Ethnographic Museum, Drini Bridge
FlagEmblemKukësCoordinates: 42°5′N 20°25′E / 42.083°N 20.417°E / 42.083; 20.417Country AlbaniaCountyKukësGovernment • MayorAlbert Halilaj (PS)Area • Municipality957 km2 (369 sq mi) • Administrative unit8.2 km2 (3.2 sq mi)Elevation350 m (1,150 ft)Population (2023) • Municipality36,125 • Municipality density37.7/km2 (97.8/sq mi) • Administrative unit15,643 • Administrative unit density1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi)Demonym(s)Albanian: Kuksian (m), Kuksiane (f)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal Code8501, 8502, 8503Area Code(0)24Websitekukesi.gov.al
Kukës (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈkukəs]; Albanian definite form: Kukësi) is a city in Albania. The city is the capital of the surrounding municipality of Kukës and county of Kukës, one of 12 constituent counties of the republic. It spans 8.2 km2 (3.2 sq mi) and had a total population of 15,643 people as of 2023.Historical populationYearPop.±%19501,060—    19603,018+184.7%19697,300+141.9%19799,500+30.1%198916,555+74.3%200117,157+3.6%201116,719−2.6%202315,643−6.4%Source:
Geologically, the surrounding area is dominated by mountainous and high terrain. The city sprawls across the Luma Plain within the Albanian Alps between the banks of Lake Fierza and the hills of the northernmost Korab Mountains and westernmost Sharr Mountains. At the confluence of the Black and White Drin, the Drin River originates close to the city's territory.
History
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Early development[edit]
Kukës traces its history back over a thousand years. The region that nowadays corresponds to the city territory was inhabited by several ancient Illyrian tribes (most predominantly Dardani tribe), as most of Albania. Numerous tombs from the Illyrians have been identified at Këneta and Kolsh nearby the city. The city was part of Kingdom of Dardania during antiquity. The residential estate served as a stopping point on a branch road leading to the Via Egnatia, which connected Dyrrachium on the Adriatic Sea in the west with Constantinople on the Marmara Sea in the east.
Illyrian tombs were found at Këneta and Kolsh nearby Kukës. It was a small Roman settlement, a stopping point on a branch road leading to the Via Egnatia, and a minor Ottoman market centre and trading post on the road to southern Kosovo. It was there (Qafa e Kolosjanit) where Albanian resistance stood up against retreating Serbian army in 1912.Photo of the Old Nermjeme Bridge in 1905
Modern development[edit]
The old Kukës was located at the confluence of the White Drin and Black Drin. In 1976 the town was submerged beneath the Fierza Reservoir, which is held back by a dam. The new town (Kukësi i Ri - "New Kukës") was built in the 1970s in the plateau nearby which is 320m over the sea level. Kukësi i Ri is surrounded by the artificial lake of Fierza and it looks like a peninsula from the above. It is linked with the other parts of the country by three bridges. On the east it faces the snow-covered mountain of Gjallica, 2,468 m (8,097 ft) above sea level.
In modern times and due to the close proximity to Kosovo, the city achieved worldwide recognition during the Kosovo War as thousands of Kosovo-Albanian refugees crossed the border and found shelter and security in the fellow Albanian houses and camps in the city. Kukës attracted international attention during the Kosovo War when 500,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees crossed the frontier and were housed in camps in and around Kukës.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during the 1999 Kosovo War crisis in KukësSkenderbej Boulevard in Kukës during the Kosovo Albanians exc
Contemporary[edit]
The city was nominated for the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize in regard to hospitality and for embracing thousands of refugees during the Kosovo War. It was the first time a town was nominated for the prize. In 2017, the city applied for the 2018 European Green Capital Award to become Europe's Green Capital. There is a mosque and a closed alpine-style hotel, part of an attempt to establish a tourist industry there. The OSCE maintained a villa there.
