Kuçovë District
Encyclopedia
The District of Kuçovë is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Berat County
. It has a population of 34,907 (2010 estimate), and an area of 84 km². It is in the centre of the country, and its capital is Kuçovë
.
n oil
industry
, and the town of Kuçovë was built with Soviet assistance in the 1950s. It is of interest to student
s of communist architecture
and planning
, although much of the oil infrastructure
predates the communist period and was installed by the Italians during the Zogist period. Today very few of the oil well
s are functioning, and in some places oil seeps to the surface.
The town has suffered very badly during the post-communist period, and there are many abandoned factories
and power plants in and around the town, and it is visibly poorer than the neighbouring towns such as Berat
. There is little to interest the casual tourist, and facilities for the visitor are poor even by local standards - tourists would be better advised to explore Kucove from Berat.
Kuçovë was formerly a closed military
district
, and the airbase
at Kuçovë remains one of the largest in Albania and aged MiG
fighters
of 1950s vintage could be seen flying on a regular basis until they were finally grounded in late 2005.
The Kuçovë District consists of the following municipalities:
Berat County
The County of Berat is one of the 12 counties of Albania. It consists of the districts Berat, Kuçovë, and Skrapar; its capital is Berat.The main cities are Berat city proper,Kucove,Polican,Ura Vajgurore, Corovode and Bogove. Berat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering an area of and a buffer...
. It has a population of 34,907 (2010 estimate), and an area of 84 km². It is in the centre of the country, and its capital is Kuçovë
Kuçovë
Kuçovë is an Albanian city, capital of the Kuçovë District, with many parks and museums.-Ancient :Archaeologists found in the village of Katundas near Kuçovë six phases of inhabitation dating to the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, urban Illyrian and the Late Antiquity era.- Modern...
.
Description
Kuçovë is one of the main centres of the AlbaniaAlbania
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...
n oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, and the town of Kuçovë was built with Soviet assistance in the 1950s. It is of interest to student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s of communist architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and planning
Planning
Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
, although much of the oil infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
predates the communist period and was installed by the Italians during the Zogist period. Today very few of the oil well
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
s are functioning, and in some places oil seeps to the surface.
The town has suffered very badly during the post-communist period, and there are many abandoned factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
and power plants in and around the town, and it is visibly poorer than the neighbouring towns such as Berat
Berat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
. There is little to interest the casual tourist, and facilities for the visitor are poor even by local standards - tourists would be better advised to explore Kucove from Berat.
Kuçovë was formerly a closed military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
, and the airbase
Airbase
An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
at Kuçovë remains one of the largest in Albania and aged MiG
Mig
-Industry:*MiG, now Mikoyan, a Russian aircraft corporation, formerly the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau*Metal inert gas welding or MIG welding, a type of welding using an electric arc and a shielding gas-Business and finance:...
fighters
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
of 1950s vintage could be seen flying on a regular basis until they were finally grounded in late 2005.
The Kuçovë District consists of the following municipalities:
- Kozare
- KuçovëKuçovëKuçovë is an Albanian city, capital of the Kuçovë District, with many parks and museums.-Ancient :Archaeologists found in the village of Katundas near Kuçovë six phases of inhabitation dating to the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, urban Illyrian and the Late Antiquity era.- Modern...
- PerondiPerondi-Genereal information:Municipality of Perondi is biggest one of Kuçovë District, and it is located in south-east of the city of Kuçova. It has around 10 000 inhabitants and includes villages of; Perondi, Tapi, Rreth-Tapi, Magjate, Goraj, Velagosht, Drize dhe Dikater. Perondia is the primeval...