Travel Guide Lezha

Lezha/Lezhë (pronounced "lieja" or "liejeu") has a population of around 15,000 (60,000 including the rest of the municipality). The town is the capital of the Lezha district (120,000 inhabitants). It lies 39 km southeast of Shkodra, 66 km northwest of Tirana and 71 km northeast of Durres (frequent minibus connections to all three towns).Situated near the mouth of the Drin, 2 km from the Adriatic, Lezha is the center of a prosperous agricultural region. It was founded in 385 B.C. under the name of Lissos by Greeks from Syracuse (Sicily), who fortified the hill overlooking today's modern town. But if Lezha occupies a special place in the country's history, it's because it was here that Skanderbeg led the resistance against the Ottomans by forming the League of Lezha in 1444. He also died here on January 17, 1468. The town center is thus built around the ruins of St. Nicholas Church, where the national hero was buried, which has been transformed into the Skanderbeg Mausoleum since the communist period. The monument is flanked by three important religious buildings. To the north, the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Nunciature (Kisha e Zojës Nunciatë) was founded, it is said, by St. Francis of Assisi on his return from the Holy Land in 1220. Opposite, on the other bank of the Drin, the large Orthodox Church of the Metamorphosis of the Saviour (Kisha Metamorfoza e Shpëtimtarit) dates from 2005 and adjoins the bus station. To the south of the memorial stands the Lezha Mosque (Xhamia Lezhë), built in 1997.