Pukë

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Pukë
Municipality
City Center of Pukë
City Center of Pukë
Stema e Bashkisë Pukë.svg
Emblem
Pukë is located in Albania
Pukë
Pukë
Coordinates: 42°03′N 19°54′E / 42.050°N 19.900°E / 42.050; 19.900
Country Albania
CountyShkodër
Government
 • MayorGjon Gjonaj (PS)
Area
 • Municipality505.83 km2 (195.30 sq mi)
Elevation
890 m (2,920 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Municipality
11,069
 • Municipality density22/km2 (57/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit
3,607
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal Code
4401
Area Code(0)212
WebsiteOfficial Website
Part of a series on
Albanian tribes
Albanian highland tribesmen
Tribes and regions
Malësia e Madhe
Dukagjin highlands
Gjakova highlands
Puka-Mirdita
Upper Drin
Zadrimë - Lezha highlands
Mati - Kruja highlands
Myzeqe
Albania Veneta
Brda-Zeta
Old Montenegro
Herzegovina - Ragusan hinterland
Epirus
Concepts
  • Bukë, Kripë e Zemër
History
Culture
  • v
  • t

Pukë (definite Albanian form: Puka) is a town and municipality in northern Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Gjegjan, Pukë, Qelëz, Qerret and Rrapë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Pukë.[1] The total population is 11,069 (2011 census),[2] in a total area of 505.83 km2.[3] The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 3,607.[2] The local football club is called KS Tërbuni Pukë.

At 838 metres above sea level, the town is one of the highest in elevation in Albania and a well-known ski area. It is 150 km from Albania's capital, Tirana.

History[]

In the 20th century, Pukë was expanded as a military base and a centre of Catholic education. The distinguished Albanian poet Migjeni worked there from 1936 to 1937. The school where he worked as a teacher is a tourist attraction. The town is surrounded by a 400-hectare (1.5 sq mi) massif covered with pine trees. Since the end of the communist era, there has been a spread of disease in the pines caused by pine processionary moths, whose nests are conspicuous.

Anthropology[]

The settlement is inhabited by the tribe of Puka,[4] itself one of the "seven tribes of Puka" (Albanian: shtatë bajrakët e Pukës).[5] According to tradition, collected by  [fr] in the mid-19th century, the settlement of Puka had been founded by a Paolo Zenta, who according to was a relative of Lekë Dukagjini.[4]

The region also has its own Kanun, a set of traditional Albanian laws and is known as Kanuni i Pukës (English: Canon of Pukë) and used mainly in Northern Albania and Kosovo.

The toponym may derive from Latin via publica ("public road") as it was located on an old trade route.[5]

Economy[]

The hotel standing in the town square has been upgraded and now boasts a microbrewery producing Puka Beer, which is a lager in draught form.

Mayors[]

No. Name Term in office
1 Halit Topalli 1992-1996
2 Halit Furriku 1996-2000
3 Ndue Cara 2000-2003
4 Rrustem Strugaj 2003-2011
5 Beqir Arifaj 2011-2015
6 Gjon Gjonaj 2015 (Incumbent)

Notable people[]

Twin towns – sister cities[]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Albania

Pukë is twinned with:

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Law nr. 115/2014 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b "Population and housing census - Shkodër 2011" (PDF). INSTAT. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  3. ^ "Correspondence table LAU – NUTS 2016, EU-28 and EFTA / available Candidate Countries" (XLS). Eurostat. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  4. ^ a b Elsie 2015, p. 179.
  5. ^ a b Elsie 2015, p. 178.
  6. ^ "Gemellaggi - Comune di Signa" (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-09-14.

Sources[]

The author refers to processionary disease in Pukë on a cycle trip through Albania, including a stay in the town, described on page 213

External links[]

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