Kuçovë
40.80361111111119.91444444444450Koordinaten: 40 ° 48 'N, 19 ° 55' O
Kuçova ( Albanian: Kuçovë ) is an industrial city in central Albania. The site claims to have recorded 30 201 inhabitants ( 2008), at the 2011 census, however, were only 12,602 inhabitants. Kuçova is the capital of the district is named after her. The village lies on the edge of Myzeqe level in central Albania around 125 kilometers south of Tirana.
Kuçova is the center of the Albanian oil industry, which is promoted in the region since 1928. As one of the most important industrial centers in the country Kuçova 1936 was also the scene of the first workers' strike in Albania. The town began to develop in the 1950s with Soviet assistance, which is why they got the name Stalin Qyteti on 10 July 1951. The small village Kuçova that preceded the planned city at this point, was first mentioned in 1689. A built in December 19, 1950 Stalin statue graced long the city center. As the site of a military airfield, the city was closed for foreigners. The airport, which also has large cavern is still used by the Albanian Air Force and was also modernized this. The coined by communist architecture industrial city was a symbol of the industrial progress of the country. The population grew from 6,400 residents in 1938 to 32,000 persons in 1980. On 5 January 1991, the site was changed back. Kuçova is impoverished and run down after the end of communism in Albania. Factories, power plants and many oil wells standing still.
In the shadow of the rich area Berat Kuçova can but something to offer not only to those visitors who are interested in ( communist ) urban planning. After all, the city is easy to reach by public transport from Berat, and owns with two kilometers outside the village Perondi located Nicholas Church ( Holy Evangelist Kolli ), a rare early basilica with wooden roof structure from the 10th century. This oldest Kirchenbautyp in Albania is fully intact here, and is suitable for comparison with the later domes in Berat. Also on display is the only grown to a Byzantine church bell tower in the country. It probably dates from the 13th century.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Koço Devole ( born 1945 ), screenwriter, actor and comedian
- Greta Koçi (* 1991), singer