Koplik is a city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 and urban municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

, serving as the capital of the Malësi e Madhe

Malësi e Madhe District

The Malësi e Madhe District is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Shkodër County. It has a population of 36,091 , and an area of 555 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Koplik...

 district in the northwestern tip of Albania

Albania

Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

. It is situated north of the city of Shkodër

Shkodër

Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...

.

History

Koplik, being a border town has a long history of warfare. The historical importance of Koplik owes much to the Malsori Tribesmen of Malsia e Madhe of which it is the capital. Their fierce independent nature insured that Koplik was often embroiled in wars against the Ottomans and the Serbs though much of its history. In the town itself there is a monument commemorating the Battle of Koplik, also known as the Battle of Deciq

Battle of Deçiq

The Battle of Deçiq marked the beginning of the turning point for Albanian liberty. It was in this battle that the Flag of Albania was raised for the first time after 442 years of Ottoman occupation...

 on account of being fought both in Koplik and Tuzi. The battle was as a result of a rebellion of Malsori Tribesmen Led by Ded Gjon Luli of the Traboin-Hoti Tribe against ottoman imperial authority. The battle was a costly victory for the Malsori tribesman. After the first world war and the partition of Malsia e Madhe into tow component parts, the area surrounding Tuzi was given to the Kingdom of Montenegro whilst the area around Koplik remained Albanian with Koplik being created the regional capital of Malsia e Madhe. During the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 occupation many of the inhabitants of the town converted to Islam, although the rural population in Malësia e Madhe continued to be mainly Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. The communist

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 regime put heavy restrictions on mobility but after the fall of communism in 1991, Koplik experienced a great influx of new settlers from the countryside.

In 1984, Koplik was elevated to city status, with a municipality granted following the first democratic elections

Albanian parliamentary election, 1992

Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 22 March 1992, with a second round of voting for eleven seats on 29 March. The result was a victory for the opposition Democratic Party of Albania, which won 92 of the 140 seats. After the election Aleksandër Meksi became Prime Minister and Sali...

 on 26 July 1992.

Tourism

Koplik has lots to offer. Lake Shkodër and the mountainous areas of the Malëia e Madhe are beautiful recreational areas. Koplik receives hundreds if not thousands of tourists every year. These are however mainly expatriate immigrants returning to see family. Koplik and the surrounding areas have seen recent investment with a Casino as well as a multitude of restaurants being built to accommodate the increased demand from tourist influx during the summer months. Koplik is the starting point for hikers wishing to explore the literary famous Malsia e Madhe translated in English as the 'Great Highlands' which receive much literary attention most famously in the travels of the early female anthropologist Edith Durham

Edith Durham

Mary Edith Durham was a British traveller, artist and writer who became famous for her anthropological accounts of life in Albania in the early 20th century.-Early life:...

 in her book High Albania as well as many other including Lord Byron, Margaret Hasluck and not to mention many native figures. Malsia e Madhe is an area that offers excellent hiking opportunities in what is said to be truly the last unspoiled, untouched remote wilderness of Europe that still retains an outstanding natural beauty.

Transport

Roads were poor however in recent years, government investment has improved the central highway running through the province as well as the asphalting of most villages. There is no availability to passenger trains from Koplik itself. The main method of public transportation is the use of minibuses on the main highway with one arriving every 3 to 5 minutes on average. Each minibus is usually privately owned and operated so no fixed fares as such; your are expected to pay the market price depending on the length of journey with the price from Koplik to the village of Dober (about a 2 to 3 mile journey) being around 20lek.

Economy

Koplik is the trading center of Malsia e Madhe. It is generally the place where from the rural villages go for anything from buying household items, clothing and other everyday things to attaining services such as heath care, haircuts etc. As a result, Koplik is filled with shops, restaurants and Hardware stores as well as internet cafe's and a casino. It has branches from the major banks operating in Albania. It also has a variety of business from a few hunting shops for the purchase of licensed fire arms and ammunition to mobilephone shops, burea de change to a variety of high-street stores to be found in most major settlements. Further, the main high school for the surrounding villages is located here. As a result of Kopliks trade and administrative center status it benefits from a constant influx of people from the surrounding area. It is also a transport hub as it is somewhat of a gateway into the deep valleys of Malsia itself and therefore a place of congregation for the various minibuses with at least half a dozen being present there at any time in the day.

External links

• Official Website