Lezhë

Lezhë is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Lezhë County and Lezhë Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with about 2,400 years of recorded history.

The city has very old walls built by the Labeatai, an early group of people. Lezhë was an important place in the Illyrian kingdom. Later, it was taken over by Macedon under Philip V and became a gateway to the Adriatic Sea. The city was taken back by the Illyrians before coming under the control of Rome after wars with the Roman-Illyrian wars.

One of Lezhë's most important moments was when the League of Lezhë was formed. Here, Skanderbeg brought together many Albanian lords to resist the Ottoman Empire.

Name

The city was known in ancient times as Lissós in Ancient Greek and Lissus in Latin. Over time, its name changed to the modern Lezhë through Albanian language shifts. It has also been called by other names such as Leş or Eşim in Turkish, and Alessio in Italian.

History

The Iron Age fortification was built on the Mal i Shëlbuemit (413 m high, right), called later Acrolissus; the proper city of Lissus was built on an adjacent hill (172 m high, left).

Lezhë is one of Albania's oldest cities, with a history that goes back about 2,400 years. In ancient times, it was an important place for the Illyrian people. The city's strong walls, built in the late 4th century BC, show this early history. Lezhë was a key city in the Illyrian kingdom and later became part of the Roman world.

During the Middle Ages, Lezhë changed hands many times. It was controlled by different rulers, including the Venetians and later the Ottoman Empire. In 1444, important Albanian leaders met in Lezhë to form the League of Lezhë, uniting to defend against Ottoman rule. Today, Lezhë is a growing city, important for trade and industry because of its location near a port and major roads.

Geography

Lezhë Municipality is located in the Northern Region of Albania. It includes areas such as Balldren, Blinisht, Dajç, Kallmet, Kolsh, Shëngjin, Shënkoll, Ungrej, and Zejmen. The area stretches from the Plain of Zadrima in the north to the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast in the west, covering 509.1 km².

View over Lezhë and the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast in the distance.

Lezhë has a warm Mediterranean climate with an average yearly temperature of 14.6 °C (58.3 °F). The city has urban and international bus services, and a train station that connects to Durrës and Shkodër, though trains do not run very often. The main highway, SH 1, links Lezhë to Shkodër in the north and to the Durrës-Kukës Highway in the south. Another road, SH32, connects Lezhë to Shëngjin on the coast.

Demography

As of the 2023 census, the municipality of Lezhë has a population of 51,354 people. Out of these, 14,687 live in the city itself.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1950	1,084	—
1960	2,458	+126.8%
1969	4,100	+66.8%
1979	6,900	+68.3%
1989	10,348	+50.0%
2001	14,420	+39.4%
2011	15,510	+7.6%
2023	14,687	−5.3%
Source:

Culture

The mosque of Lezhe

Lezhë has a sports club called KS Besëlidhja Lezhë. The club is best known for football and basketball, but they also play wrestling and beach volleyball.

Starting in 2004, people began digging near the old Acropolis of Lissos and the Skanderbeg Memorial. They found buildings, tombs, and other important things from ancient times, including from the Hellenistic, Roman, and Early Byzantine periods.

Notable people

Lezhë has been home to many interesting people throughout history. Some of these include Antonio Bruti, a merchant and diplomat from the 16th century, and Lekë Dukagjini, a famous prince. The city also saw the birth of several talented athletes, such as football players Henri Ndreka, Robert Grizha, Erjon Dushku, Renato Malota, Florjan Përgjoni, and Indrit Tuci, as well as rugby player Ornel Gega. Other notable figures include Catholic priest and poet Gjergj Fishta, and poet Ndoc Gjetja.