Krasta

Krastë
Town
Krastë seen from the summit of Noi i Madh (1848 m), at a distance of 7.7 km (5 mi) as the crow flies.
Krastë
Coordinates: 41°25′24″N 20°12′13″E / 41.42333°N 20.20361°E / 41.42333; 20.20361Coordinates: 41°25′24″N 20°12′13″E / 41.42333°N 20.20361°E / 41.42333; 20.20361
Country	Albania
County	Dibër
Municipality	Bulqizë
Administrative Unit	Martanesh
Elevation	1,100 m (3,600 ft)
Population (2005)
• Total	1,540
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal Code	8403

Krastë (definite Albanian form: Krasta) is a small town in Dibër County, east Albania. With a population of 2142, it is the center and only town of the municipal unit of Martanesh. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Bulqizë. Situated on a plateau, at 1,100 m (3,609 ft) altitude, it is Albania's highest town. Krastë was founded as a new mining town in 1970, mostly for the exploitation of chromium ore from the Batra mine.

One of the smallest urban settlements of Albania, Krastë is the center of the former commune of Martanesh, in Dibër county. It lies on a plateau, on the western slope of Kalti mountain 1,592 m (5,223 ft), part of Mali i Lopës. It has an altitude of 1,100 m (3,609 ft), making it the highest town in Albania. Krastë is situated in a relatively isolated mountainous region and is 20 km far from its nearest city, Bulqizë. Krastë is almost 145 km (90 mi) by road from the capital Tirana, despite being only 40 km as the crow flies from it. It is expected that the completion of the new Arbër highway will halve the distance of the town from the capital of Albania.

Early archaeological evidence has been found in the district of Bulqizë, especially in the villages Krajkë and Shupenzë, while a stone hammer, today exposed in the Historical Museum of Burrel, was discovered in the village of Gjon, adjacent to Krastë, suggesting that the region was inhabited from the Stone Age.

On February 25, 1965, eleven members of the Geological Expedition of Batra perished under a sudden avalanche in the creek of Batra (approximately 5 km from the site where the town of Krastë was later built), during an attempt to rescue one of their friends. The new Batra mine that began operating in 1967 was named "11 Heronjtë" (11 Heroes) in their honor.