RUGOVA GORGE

The Rugova Gorge (Gryka e Rugovës, Rugovska klisura) marks the entrance to the Albanian Alps National Park. It is entered by following the M9 road along the Pećka Bistrica. For 25 km, the river has carved a narrow gorge whose walls are almost 1,000 m high. These gorges are among the deepest in Europe after those of Vikos (Greece) and Tara (Montenegro). The most impressive part begins just after the patriarchal monastery of Peć: for about ten kilometers, the road winds along the cliff face between tunnels dug into the rock and bridges spanning the void. A majestic waterfall of 25 m high emerges from the rock at the bend and offers itself to the eye, on the southern slope. The road ends 20 km later in Boga/Boge, the most western village of Kosovo.

History. The gorge is not named after the river Pećka Bistrica (or Lumbardhi i Pejës), but after the Albanian word rrgua, which means "road" or "street". The valley was indeed for a long time the only crossing point between Kosovo and Montenegro. The region of Rugova was inhabited since prehistoric times, then by Serbian hermits from the 8th century. But in a permanent way only from the XIIth century, essentially by Albanian catholic shepherds. It is similar to the high isolated valleys of Theth and Valbona, in Albania. Like them, the region of Rugova benefited from an autonomy during the Ottoman period and served as a refuge for the Albanian Catholics and rebels. Several revolts broke out here against the Ottomans (1904, 1908), then against the Yugoslavs who, in 1919 destroyed more than 400 houses in the valley. At the end of World War II, the area served as a refuge for the SS of the Skanderbeg division and Nazi collaborators, becoming the main focus of the Albanian nationalist movement, the ancestor of the KLA. During the Kosovo war, the valley served as a retreat area for the insurgents. However, due to the difficult living conditions, almost the entire population (3,300 inhabitants in 1971) has left the valley in recent decades: only about 100 permanent inhabitants remain today. The two local economic poles are the ski resort of Boga/Boge and the bottling plant of the mineral water of the Rugova brand.

Activities. With its 19 peaks at over 2,000 m, the Rugova Valley is popular with hikers, skiers, climbers and cavers. In its northern part, the region is dominated by the Guri i Kuq ("red peak" in Albanian) also called Žuti kamen ("the yellow stone" in Serbo-Croatian) which reaches 2,522 m in altitude. It is followed by the Kopranik (2 460 m) and Hajla (2 404 m) mountains. The cliffs above the road are equipped with via ferrata courses and a zip line. There are also several marked trails for hiking and mountain biking as well as many caves. For skiing, go to Boga/Boge. Located at an altitude of 1,400 m, the village has a mini ski resort with a ski lift and a slope culminating at 1,680 m. There are several accommodations, such as the Hotel Burri (+377 44 26 77 66) or the Villa Kodra (+377 44 69 54 88). It is also possible to practice off-piste skiing with the Outdoor Kosova agency, which has a groomer to drop skiers off at the top of the slopes.