Vau i Dejës is a municipality in the Shkodër District

Shkodër District

The District of Shkodër is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Shkodër County. It has a population of 185,646 , and an area of 1,973 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Shkodër...

, Shkodër County

Shkodër County

Shkodër County is one of the 12 counties of Albania. It consists of the districts Malësi e Madhe, Pukë and Shkodër. The capital of the county of Shkodër is the city of Shkodër....

, northwestern 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...

. Located in the norther region of Zadrima

Zadrima

Zadrima is a region in the Shkodër District, Albania. It lays mostly in the Zadrima Plain....

, Vau i Dejes is intersected by the River Drin and Gjadri. It is also strategically about 41 kilometers from the Adriatic Sea. Settlements in the area can be dated back to the 15th century, while the main city of Vau Dejes was developed to house workers during the construction of the Vau Dejes hydroelectric dam from 1971- 73. After the completion of the dam, families displaced from the flood waters began to inhabit the city. Today Vau Dejes is composed of 8 villages and a city center. The population in 2008 was 12,345. The municipality covers a total of 31 km and is composed of 1 city center and 8 villages. The villages of Vau i Dejes are Mjede, Spathar

Spathar

Spathar is a village in the municipality of Vendreshë in Skrapar District, Berat County, Albania....

, Shelqet, Kace

KACE

KACE may refer to:* KACE Networks, a provider of systems management appliances, who has merged with Dell and is known as Dell KACE* KACE , a radio station licensed to Bishop, California, United States...

, Narac, Dush

Dush

Dush may refer to:* Dush, Albania, a town in Shkodër County, Albania* Dush, Egypt, a village at Kharga Oasis in Egypt's western desert* Dush , a crater on Mars, see List of craters on Mars...

, Gomsiqe, and Karme. ². It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sapë.

History

The history of Vau Dejes dates back to the old city center Danja, established around the year 1127. There still stands today the ruins of ruins of St. Mark's castle and church which date back to the early 15th century. According to historians, each year in this area a big fair was organized and attended by the inhabitants of the Zadrima region. This fair took place on the 25th of April and continued late hours of the morning. Agricultural goods, livestock and primitive tools that could not be found any other day of the year were available for sale. Vau i Dejes was a strategic area because it was the crossing ancient roads connecting the east and the west. From Lisusi, an old Roman road traveled through Nenshat and Hajmel, passing through Laç at Stone Pass and continuing on to Gomsiqes and Puka.

Danja Castle

The Danja Castle, located in the village Deja, was a prominent center in the Zadrima region. The biggest battle in the war against Venice was fought at Danja Castle and is where Leke Zaharia was killed. He is buried in Saint Maria Church in Vau Dejes, which has been rebuilt from when it was destroyed in 1965. With the death of Leke Zaharia, the castle was taken by Venice, which left after military pressure from Gjergj Kastriot- Skenderbeg. After the Danja Castle fell, a great part of the population left for Italy.

Geography

Vau i Dejes lies along the national road connecting Shkodra to Kosovo. Located at the foot of a mountainous woodland, it is situated at the exit of a gorge between the hill of Lac with an elevation 367 m and Boka with an elevation 464 m. Through this gorge flows the Glina brook which divides the city's urban area into two visible parts until it meets the Gjader River. The vegetation of these hills is dry largely because their geological composition does not favor the growth of vegetation.

Geology

The rocks of the eastern and northern territory of Vau Dejes are characterized by formations of karst and flysch magmatic rocks similar to those found in Mirdita.

External links

• Vau i Dejës at Shkodër County website