Albania Atlas

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The Albania Atlas
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Kukës in spring, above Lake Fierza
Lori Elezi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Town

KukësKukësi

A town rebuilt above a reservoir in the 1970s, and the northern end of the Nation's Road.

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Rebuilt
Relocated in the 1970s when the Fierza reservoir flooded the old site
Population (town)
15,643 (2023)
Elevation
320 m
Official website
https://kukesi.gov.al/

In plain language

Kukës is a mountain town in the north-east. The old town was flooded when a dam was built, so a new one was built higher up beside the new lake. During the Kosovo war in 1999 the town sheltered many thousands of refugees.

Simple explanation

Kukës is a mountain town in the north-east. The old town was flooded when a dam was built, so a new one was built higher up beside the new lake. During the Kosovo war in 1999 the town sheltered many thousands of refugees.

Inside Kukës

Airport · Kukës

Kukës International Airport

A small northern airport that opened to commercial flights in 2021, mainly serving the diaspora.

Protected area · Kukës

Valbona Valley National Park

A broad U-shaped glacial valley of white gravel and beech forest under the Alps' highest peaks.

Energy site · Kukës

Fierza Hydropower Plant

The uppermost and largest of the Drin dams, creating a reservoir shared with Kosovo.

Town · Kukës

Krumë

The seat of Has municipality in the north-eastern hills near Kosovo.

Road · Kukës

A1 — the Nation's Road

The Durrës–Kukës–Morina motorway, including the 5.6 km Kalimash tunnel, linking Albania to Kosovo.

Town · Kukës

Bajram Curri

The road head for the Valbona valley, named after a guerrilla leader of the 1920s.

Village · Kukës

Valbonë

A wide white riverbed under 2,500 m peaks; the eastern end of the Theth trek.

Town · Kukës

Kukës

A town rebuilt above a reservoir in the 1970s, and the northern end of the Nation's Road.

More images

Connected subjects

Nearby

County

Dibër County

Albania's mountain interior on the North Macedonian border, containing Mount Korab.

City · Shkodër

Shkodër

The cultural capital of the north: a lake, a fortress, a bicycle city and a Catholic heartland.

Airport · Kukës

Kukës International Airport

A small northern airport that opened to commercial flights in 2021, mainly serving the diaspora.

Energy site · Kukës

Fierza Hydropower Plant

The uppermost and largest of the Drin dams, creating a reservoir shared with Kosovo.

Town · Lezhë

Lezhë

Where the Albanian princes swore their 1444 league, and where Skanderbeg is buried.

Town · Kukës

Krumë

The seat of Has municipality in the north-eastern hills near Kosovo.

Mountain range · Shkodër

The Albanian Alps

The limestone wall of the far north — locally the Accursed Mountains — shared with Montenegro and Kosovo.

Road · Kukës

A1 — the Nation's Road

The Durrës–Kukës–Morina motorway, including the 5.6 km Kalimash tunnel, linking Albania to Kosovo.

Sources

  • Wikipedia. Kukës — English Wikipedia · retrieved 13 Oct 2026
    Used to ground the deep-research section and as a discovery aid; not relied on alone for contested claims.
  • Wikidata. Wikidata item Q210197 · retrieved 13 Oct 2026
    Source of the population, area and elevation figures shown in Quick facts, each with its own observation year.
  • Wikimedia Commons. Photographs · retrieved 13 Oct 2026
    Each photograph carries its own creator, licence and file link beneath it. Only public-domain, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-SA files are published.

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