Këlcyrë

Këlcyrë
Municipality
Këlcyrë
Coordinates:
Country	Albania
County	Gjirokastër
Government
• Mayor	Klement Ndoni (SP)
Area
• Municipality	304.65 km2 (117.63 sq mi)
Elevation	176 m (577 ft)
Population (2011)
• Municipality	6,113
• Municipality density	20/km2 (52/sq mi)
• Administrative Unit	2,651
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal Code	6402
Area Code	(0)875
Vehicle registration	AL

Këlcyrë is a town and a municipality in southern Albania, located on the bank of the river Vjosë. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Ballaban, Dishnicë, Këlcyrë and Sukë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Këlcyrë. The total population is 6,113 (2011 census), in a total area of 304.65 km². The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 2,651. The municipal unit consists of the town Këlcyrë and the villages Fshat Këlcyrë, Mbrezhdan, Maleshovë, Limar, Leskaj and Kala. The Vjosë forms a canyon near the town, known as the Këlcyrë Gorge.

Name

A medieval chronicle from the year 1272 mentioned the location with the Latin name Clausura (a word with meaning "close"). The Byzantine Suda lexicon, writes that the Romans called the forts at the passes (Greek: Κλεισοῦραι). During the Byzantine era the town was also called Klisura (Κλεισούρα).

History

In antiquity the region was part of Epirus, and afterwards was incorporated into Upper Macedonia. Later it became part of the Roman empire.

During the Second Macedonian War against the Romans, the troops of Phillip V and Athenagoras of Macedon attempted to delay the Roman consul, Titus Quinctius Flamininus. The Macedonians had secured the passage and then blocked the Roman advance in 198 BC. A shepherd is said to have led the Roman troops through the mountains, so that they could attack the Macedonians in the narrow gorge of two sides and destroy them. The Macedonians had been decisively defeated a first time. Later, the Romans used the route through the gorge of modern Këlcyrë and built a small settlement.

To control this passage, a castle was built in the 13th century. When the town was incorporated in the Kingdom of Albania in the late 13th century it was ruled by the Muzaka family. The correspondence of the Roman Curia with the Albanian nobility indicates that in 1319 it was ruled by Count Mentul Muzaka. After its capture by the Byzantine army, the Albanian population rebelled against Byzantine rule in 1335 and captured the fortress of the town.

The Turks advanced and built in the 19th century also a seraglio At this time Këlcyrë experienced its bloom as a key trading center between Berat, Korça and Gjirokastra.

The capture of Klisura Pass (6–11 January 1941) was one of the most important victories of the Greek Army during the Greek-Italian War.

Today

Even today, the road is the main access route through the gorge that connects Këlcyrë with Tepelenë and other centers of Albania. To the south, the road continues to Përmet in the capital district and then to Greece. The road leading to the north in the direction of Berat is paved only a few kilometers, and navigation over long distances is very difficult. Around Këlcyrë there are some age-old Eastern Orthodox churches.

Notable people

• Ali Këlcyra, politician
• Sejfulla Malëshova, writer and politician, founder of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists in 1945.
• Veli bej Këlcyra, signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.