Rugova Mountains

Rugova (Template:Lang-s/Rugova, Albanian: Rugova/Rugovë is a mountain region located to the north-west of the city of Peć, in Kosovo region. According to notes of Rugova it has been inhabited since before the 12th century. It is the third region of Prokletije (The Cursed Mountains). In 2013, it was designated a national park by the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo.

Rugova is an ethnographically diverse region, with great importance for the literary branches of lexicology, etymology and onomastics. Rugova is a suitable region for hiking, skiing, mountaineering, paragliding, and picnics.

It was ranked as the fourth most important center for winter sports by the International Ski Federation (ISF). Furthermore, in April 2013, Peja won the "Tourism for Tomorrow" award for the project, "Peaks of the Balkans".

Rugova is rich with many landform elements such as caves, waterfalls, glacial lakes, high peaks, and tunnels. The highest peak is Hajla at 2,403 m (7,884 ft). From Qafa e Qyqes (Cuchoo's Neck) it is possible to observe the whole city of Peja. Guri i Kuq, 1,522 m (4,993 ft), has views of Gjeravica, Boriqe (Three Border region), Maja e Mariashit (Peak of Mariashi), Maja e Hekurave (Iron Peak), Shkëlzeni and Lake Plav. Volujaku is also a high peak at 2,014 m (6,608 ft).

A via ferrata (iron path) starts 4 km (2.5 mi) from Peja, and is the only one in the Balkans.

Rugova offers good living conditions even though the number of residents has dramatically decreased.

The term “Rugovë” derives from the word “rrugë” which means “street”, as a lot of very important roads have crossed this region. The only route that connected Albania with Montenegro went through Rugova. The oldest name “Shtupel” dates back to 1292, and it represented two of Rugova’s villages: Shtupeqi i madh and Shtupeqi i vogël. The meaning of this nomenclature is comes from the word “stëp” which means an individual involved in the making of dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.

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