Shijak

Shijak () is a town and a municipality in Durrës County, west-central Albania. The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Gjepalaj, Maminas, Shijak and Xhafzotaj, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Shijak. The total population is 27,861 (2011 census), in a total area of 92.24 km2. The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 7,568.

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Place details

Locality: Shijak
Region: Shqipëria Veriore
Country: Shqipëria
Population: 14,138
Timezone: Europe/Tirane

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

Albanian settlement.type: m
Albanian settlement.name: Shijak
Albanian settlement.flag: Flag of Shijak.gif
Albanian settlement.emblem: Stema e Bashkisë Shijak.svg
Albanian settlement.skyline: Shijaku neq.jpg
Albanian settlement.county: Durrës
Albanian settlement.mayor: Elton Arbana
Albanian settlement.party: PS
Albanian settlement.elevation: 51
Albanian settlement.area munic: 92.294
Albanian settlement.population as of: 2023
Albanian settlement.population munic: 22,058
Albanian settlement.population unit: 5,832
Albanian settlement.postal code: 2013-2014
Albanian settlement.area code: (0)571

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Population: 7568
Elevation: 34
Official website: www.shijak.gov.al
Image: Shijaku neq.jpg

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Shijak
postal code: 2013–2014
P12749: natural disaster
native label: Shijak

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Understand

The small city of Shijak is 11 km from Durrës, and 31 km from Tirana. Settled in a fertile flat plain with surrounding rolling hills, Shijak could be an excellent choice to pass some time in the nature and enjoy the Erzen River which runs through Shijak, and the spring of Gjyshi, spring of Dushku, and Erzen Lake who are all in the nearby vicinity of the city.

Shijak is well known for its Bosnian community settlements and restaurants where you can enjoy a mix of the Albanian cuisine with the Bosnian and Mediterranean ones.

Get in

By plane

The closest airport to reach Shijak is the Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza located in the capital, Tirana. There is no bus directly from the airport to Shijak, but you can take a cab. The airport is nearly 24 km from the centre of Shijak.

By bus

Your first option is to travel by bus. If you are coming through Tirana, you have multiple private and public buses running between the two places. You can catch the bus to Shijak- at Regional Bus Terminal - North and South Albania (8QVG+MQV, Kashar) from 07:00 until 18:00.

By car

You can also rent a car to drive yourself (if your license is valid in Albania) or hire a taxi.

If you are driving for things to do in Shijak, you can take route SH2.

By boat

Shijak does not have a port, but the nearby town of Durrës does. Durrës Port is nearly 14 km from the center of Shijak.

Get around

Shijak is a small city, and the best way to get to see it is by walking.

By bike

The city is quite suitable for biking too.

Do

Shijak is surrounded by beautiful surrounding rolling hills with trails lush with greenery alongside the Erzen River where you can walk or bike.

You can enjoy fresh food in the countryside or the restaurants nearby.

Buy

In the countryside and the city, you can buy fresh food from the nearby villages.

Eat

Due to its mix population and influence of different cultures , you can enjoy some really good food in Shijak.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~6 min read

Article

8 sections

Contents

Overview
History
Natural and built environment
Governance
Economy and business
Sports
Notable people
References

==Overview== Shijak is located 11 km away from the city of Durrës, and 31 km from the city of Tirana. The former municipality had a surface area of about 5 km2, and a reported population of around 12,853 people as of 2007. In reality the population is smaller as many people who claim residency in Shijak actually reside permanently elsewhere. With this taken into account the actual population size is estimated to be around 6,000–7,000 people. Population size has grown at a rate of around 1% per year despite birth rate decreasing at a rate of around 60% from 2003 to 2007. Inward migration of families accounts for this increase. Three neighborhoods comprise Shijak; , , and . In 2010–2011 the only female mayor in Albania ran Shijak.