Libohovë

Municipality

Seal

Libohovë

Coordinates: 40°2′N 20°16′E / 40.033°N 20.267°ECoordinates: 40°2′N 20°16′E / 40.033°N 20.267°E

Country

Albania

County

Gjirokastër

Government

• Mayor

Luiza Mandi (SP)

Area

• Municipality

248.24 km² (95.85 sq mi)

Elevation

408 m (1,339 ft)

Population (2011)

• Municipality

3,667

• Municipality density

15/km² (38/sq mi)

• Administrative Unit

1,992

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal Code

6003

Area Code

(0)881

Vehicle registration

Libohovë is a town and a municipality in southern Albania, near Dropull. It is overlooked by Libohovë Castle and has a main street with views across the Drino valley. Libohovë is at the foot of the Bureto Mountain. The region forms part of the Zagori Regional Nature Park located in Zagori region.

The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Libohovë, Qendër Libohovë and Zagori, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Libohovë. The total population is 3,667 (2011 census), in a total area of 248.24 km². The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 1,992.

The archaeological evidence indicates a very ancient settlement which reached its zenith in the 17th-century. It may be the exect site of present Dropull's former Catholic Diocese of Hadrianopolis in Epiro .

It is the home of a well-known Albanian noble family, whch shares it name with the town. Prior to the communist era they held considerable sway over the country's politics. The castle is a substantial fortress with four polygonal corner towers and a curtain wall surrounding a wide courtyard. The sister of Ali Pasha of Tepelenë, Shanica, married one of the most important members of the Libohovë family and the castle was the dowry that Ali Pasha presented to her. In the town centre is an old plane tree around which a bar-restaurant has been built. Also in the centre is the house of Myfit Bey Libohovë (1876–1927), a renowned politician, the first minister of internal affairs and foreign affairs serving in the Albanian Government of 1912.

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Wikipedia