User talk:Xhenis90

''One of Albania's oldest cities, an important economic and cultural center with around 100,000 inhabitants.

It lies on southern part of the plain of Mbishkodra, next to the Shkodra Lake (Liqeni i Shkodr�s), between the rivers Drin and Bun�, the mountain of Tarabosh, and the Rozafa Castle.

In former times, Shkodra (pronounced: Shko-drah) was known as Scodra. It was founded around the 4th century B.C. on the hills around the Castle of Shkodra (Rozafa).

Shkodra was the center of the Illyrian tribe Labeat, and during the rule of Gent it became the capital of the Illyrian kingdom. It was taken by the Romans in the year 168 B.C.

One of the most important trade and military routes that came down from the northern part of the Balkan peninsula, passed through Shkodra, continuing to Kosova and further.

In 1040, Shkodra was captured by the Serbs and became the center of Zeta. During the 14th century it became the center of the Balsha feudal family. In 1396 it was taken by the Venetians. Shkodra fell under Turkish rule in 1479. Around the 17th century, the city began to prosper and it became the center of the sanjak, Turkish administrative units smaller than vilayets.

It became the economic center of northern Albania, its craftsmen produced fabric, silk, arms, and silver artifacts.

Two story stone houses were built, the bazaar, and the Bridge of Mesi (Ura e Mesit) over the Kir river, built during the second half of the 18th century, over 100 meters long, with 13 arcs of stone, the largest one being 22 meters wide and 12 meters tall.

In the 18th century Shkodra became the center of the pashallek of Shkodra, under the rule of the Bushati family, which ruled from the year 1757 to 1831.

Shkodra became an important trade center in the second half of the 19th century. Aside from being the center of the vilayet of Shkodra, it was an important trading center for the entire Bakan peninsula.

It had over 3500 shops, and clothing, leather, tobacco, and gun powder were some of the major products of Shkodra.

A special administration was established to handle trade, a trade court, and a directorate of postage services with other countries. Other countries had opened consulates in Shkodra ever since 1718.

Shkodra is one of the major industrial centers of Albania. The mechanical and electronic industries are the most developed, preceding are the food and building materials industries.

Some of the major manufacturing facilities are the factory of electric wires and cables, wood processing plants, factories of leather and clothing, tobacco, and food. Things to See

Shkodra is a major cultural center of Albania. The Pedagogical Institute and a branch of the University of Tirana are located in Shkodra. The main library has over 250,000 titles.

The Cultural Center, the branch of the Artists and Writers Association, and the "Migjeni" Theater are other major cultural institutions of Shkodra.

The Museum of History, Museum of Education, the House of the Shkodra Branch of the League of Prizren, the Gallery of Arts, are some of the museums of Shkodra.

The city retains its characteristic appearance, with narrow streets with tall stone walls on both sides, and tall gates, but a large part of it has been transformed after World War II, with straight wide streets and tall residential and public buildings.

The city expanded with several new quarters, and the industrial zone was built north of the city. Some of the cultural monuments of Shkodra are the Castle of Shkodra (Rozafa), the Turkish Bath (hamam), the Mosque of Plumbi, and many old houses with an appearance characteristic to Shkodra. The city lies next to the lake and the residents use the beach of Shiroka for recreation. ''