Shkumbin

Shkumbin Valley between Elbasan and Librazhd

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Shkumbin ( Albanian: Shkumbini; Latin Genusus; Greek Genoúsos Γενούσος ) is a river in central Albania. One of the most important ancient trade routes of the Balkans, the Via Egnatia, followed up the river and gave the role to the Shkumbin as strategically important corridor between East and West.

Geography

The Shkumbin rises southwest of the town of Pogradec in southeastern Albania. First, it runs in a mountainous valley to the north. In the city Librazhd the valley turns to the west. In a narrow cut it breaks through the mountain range and occurs in Elbasan in a vast plain. Now in a wide valley, it flows to about 41 along the latitude of the Adriatic. North of the lagoon of Karavasta it forms a small delta.

The Shkumbin with a length of 181 km and an average discharge rate of 61.5 m³ / s one of the largest rivers in the country. Its significance lies more in its impact on the history, society and the market of the country.

Habitat

1996 17 fish species have been recorded in Shkumbin. Carp fish were in the majority. The river is also habitat for many rare fish such as the Albanian roach ( Pachychilon pictum ), which is found only around the Adriatic Sea, a gudgeon subspecies ( Gobio albanicus gobio ) and Corsica trout ( Salmo trutta macrostigma ). Here, the Shkumbin is heavily polluted in its lower reaches, in particular by sewage from Elbasan and the large metallurgical complex there, but is no longer in operation today. But above the town Librazhd he is still largely unspoilt.

Cultural border

The Shkumbin is the border between the two dialects of the Albanian language with differences in phonetics and vocabulary. South of the river live the Tosks, in northern Albania and in Kosovo the counter. The Shkumbingrenze is not only a linguistic; it is also a religious and cultural divide: So this line is in the traditional Albanian folk north maintained the monophonic (unanimity ), while songs are common in the south polyphonic ( polyphonic ). The area of Librazhd is a transitional zone in which you will find both song types. South of Shkumbin there are hardly any Catholics, and north of the Shkumbins live outside the big cities hardly orthodox Albanians. They have always had the reputation Tosks to be open-minded than the conservative counter in the mountains of the north. The " cultural border of Shkumbin " is also found in politics. The former communist elites come more from the south. First protests took place in the north, where the Democratic Party of the first non-communist Minister Sali Berisha has its strongholds.

Traffic routes in Shkumbin Valley

Navigable the Shkumbin is not. Nevertheless, its valley is an important traffic route since ancient times. It forms a good passable passage of the Adriatic Sea through the Albanian mountains. The Romans, who called the river Genusus, built the Via Egnatia, which connected Rome with Constantinople Opel, through the valley. The Turks built at this strategic location, the castle of Elbasan. Some remains to roads and bridges are evidence of these epochs. Later, the traffic on the lower reaches was protected by the fortress in Peqin and the trading center at the mouth of the fortress Bashtova.

In the 1970s, the most spectacular railway line was built through the valley of Albania, which includes various tunnels and high bridges. The National Roads and SH3 SH7 linking Tirana and central Albania to the southeast of the country and FYROM have since been greatly expanded with funding provided by the Stability Pact. As part of Corridor 8 of the Pan-European transport corridors, the valley is provided as a main traffic artery of the modern era in the Balkans.