Peshkopi (, Latin: Penestae) is a town located in the mountainous regions of northeastern Albania, in Dibër County. It is the capital of both the county () and the district () of Dibër, and is the only county regional capital in Albania which does not share its name with its county. The population at the 2011 census was 13,251.
Peshkopi lies east of the Black Drin river, about northeast of Tirana, the capital of Albania, and from the Macedonian border. The town sits above sea level.
Known for its thermal waters, year-round agriculture, and natural beauty, Peshkopi is also developing a reputation as tourism destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, mountain biking, and rock climbing. The third tallest mountain in the Balkans, Mount Korabi, and the birthplace of Albania's national hero, Gjerg Kastrioti, are nearby heritages sites. The district also contains large mineral ore deposits such as chromium, sulfur, and marble. It is also an important industrial center in Albania, producing many agricultural products for Albania.
History
The name of Peshkopi is derived from the word peshkop meaning bishop in Albanian and from Episkopè in Greek. Bulgarian maps of the eleventh century show the town under the name Presolengrad. The region of Dibër was subsumed under the Archbishopric of Ohrid in 1019, and one year later received the status of an episcopate with its center in the Bulke ward of Peshkopi, located in what is now the neighborhood of Dobrovë. The central church of the Dibër Episcopate was that of St. Stephen (). The seat of the Episcopate would later be relocated, but the town of Peshkopi retained its name. Peshkopi is referenced as early as the fifteenth century under the name Peskopia.
The region today known as Dibër was inhabited in pre-Christian times by the Illyrian tribe known to the Romans as Penestae, Πενέσται in Ancient Greek ().
By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire had completed its conquest of Albania. Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Peshkopi (then Debre-i Zir, which meant "Lower Debre" in Ottoman Turkish) was a small market town, overshadowed by the larger and more flamboyant Debar (, "Greater Dibër"), which today lies just over the Macedonian border. The population of Peshkopi was almost completely Muslim by 1583. In 1873 an Ottoman barracks was built in Peshkopi, housing up to 8,000 soldiers.
The Dibër region, including Peshkopi, took part in the uprisings against Ottoman authority that were occurring throughout Albania in the early 1910s. Albanian armed bands () captured Peshkopi from the Ottomans on August 16, 1912.
In the aftermath of the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, a Serbian army invaded Dibër and entered Peshkopi in early December 1912. Albanian forces retook the city on September 20, 1913. A Bulgarian army invaded Peshkopi on January 1, 1916. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, an ally of Bulgaria, brought an army to Peshkopi on April 12, 1916, and engaged in punitive house-burnings and executions throughout the region in an attempt to quell local resistance. The Bulgarians and Austro-Hungarians departed the area in September 1918.
Italian forces invaded Albania in 1939, reaching Peshkopi on April 15. Albanian Communist partisans retook Peshkopi on September 9, 1943. The following October, the partisans defeated Balli Kombëtar forces in an armed battle for control of the city. In July 1944, German forces occupied the city, but were expelled later that same month. Fighting continued in the Dibër region until early September, leaving the Communist-dominated National Liberation Army () in control.
Geography
Peshkopi is located in northeastern Albania, in the Dibër County. It is situated in the valley of the Drin river, at the foot of the Korab mountain range. The town is the administrative center of the district and has a population of around 14,000 people. The Korab mountain range, which is the highest range in the Balkans, is located to the east of the town. The Drin River, which is the longest river in the country, flows through the valley and provides water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. The valley is also known for its fertile soil and is an important agricultural area, producing crops such as corn, wheat, and vegetables.