Kruja is a very early settlement that dates back to three centuries before Christ. It was precisely the Albanians, the Illyrian tribe that gave Albania its name, a name by which it is still known in the world today. On a map of Illyria and the Balkan peninsula of that time, Ptolemy also marked Albanopolis, as the capital of the Illyrian tribe of the Albanians. The tribe of Albanians, under the pressure of wars, gradually withdrew from the city in the direction of today’s Kruja, changing its name as well, which turned into Arbër, and Albania was called Arbëri. Around the world, it still continues to be called Albania.
Kruja can be called one of the cities that has brought a lot of history to Albania. From there begins the story of the legendary leader Skënderbeu, and many other princes and feudal lords, who owned the different provinces of Albania, and wrote century after century the pages of history during the Ottoman occupation. Kruja is the city that has suffered three major sieges by the Turks, by sultans and their sons (Murat, Mehmeti, etc.), and many attacks by foreigners who took place one after the other after the Turkish invasion. Even during the Second World War, Kruja has marked a series of important battles in its history.
To be continued…
