The Cursed Mountains in Albania. The isolated village of Theth and its attractions

The Cursed Mountains are stunningly beautiful mountains in northern Albania that have enchanted us with views. One of the most isolated villages in Europe -Theth - got lost here. And although the streamers leading to it are already asphalted today and the commercial has somehow entered this place, it is still extremely charming and allows you to experience unforgettable moments with fantastic landscapes of high mountains!

Cursed Mountains - North Albanian Mountains - Albanian Alps

The CursedMountains are the North Albanian Mountains, also called the Albanian Alps. It is a mountain range in Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo, and at the same time the highest part of the Dinaric Mountains. The highest peak of the range is Maja e Jezercës (2694 m above sea level), at the foot of which lies the town of Bajram Curri. It lies partly within the Thethit National Park and is Albania's fifth highest peak.

Theth - an isolated village in the Cursed Mountains of Albania

Theth is an amazing mountain village, located in the heart of the Cursed Mountains. Surrounded on all sides by rocky peaks, reaching up to 2,000 meters above sea level, it must be impressive! Going to Theth, we had to overcome the most difficult route we had in Albania. Very winding, steep and narrow, but it is already asphalted, so it was not as difficult as in Georgia when we went to the beautiful Svaneti, but the associations with that expedition and Usguli are obvious. It is true that there is more civilization and commerce in Theth, because tourism has stimulated this village to develop, but at first glance you can see the difficult conditions of mountain life here. There is a large car park at the exit of the streamers, in the center of the village. It is free (2025), and accommodation, restaurants and fast food have been created around it.

Church of Theth

An iconic symbol of the village is the church in Theth, located almost in the center, rising against the backdrop of magical mountains. It was founded in 1892, but had to be renovated after the fall of communism, during which the dictator Hoxha destroyed all the temples of Albania, because, as he said, the only religion of this country is to be albanism. Like Cminda Sameba in Georgia, this church advertises idyllic Albania in the world.

Tower of Reconciliation in Theth

A little further behind the temple there is a unique stone tower, called the Tower of Reconciliation (kulla e ngujimit). Its beautiful name did not come from nowhere. Imagine that you have a dispute with someone and you are in mortal danger. It was in such situations that, if there were family quarrels and someone was in danger of revenge, he was sheltering in such a tower. In addition, all disputes were settled here.  And all this thanks to the Albanian ruler, Lekë Dukagjini, who introduced the Kanun code in the 15th century, regulating the rules of many areas of Albanian life. Interestingly, it was from the creator of the code that the name of the currency in this country - medicines - came. Today, the tower can be visited for a fee and you can feel the atmosphere of Albanian honour traditions. There are no stairs in the interior, you can climb up the ladder to the upper floors. In such places, you can feel the spirit of people who lived here before. It is also an element reminding us of Georgia, where similar towers, called koshki, were scattered.

Trekking to the Grunas waterfall

It is also worth going on an easy trek to get to know the nature and unique views of the Cursed Mountains better. The route leads through a charming, stone settlement with several buildings, it looks modest but spectacular at the same time. Interestingly, it is possible to buy something to drink or eat here. After about 30 minutes of walking, you will stand in front of the Grunas waterfall, 25 meters high. You can go a little higher, but it is quite uncomfortable on large and slippery boulders. The car park is about 3.5 km away.

Watch out for snakes along the way. At the settlement, my attention was drawn to a grazing horse and when I wanted to approach it, at the last moment I noticed a creeping snake. Small but venomous, Uncle Google identified him as a rhinoceros viper. Her venom can even kill a man, at other times a snake also flew by Łukasz's leg.

Sworn virgins - "men in a woman's body" in Albania

Have you ever been forced into marriage? Now it happens rarely, but in the past it was common, and still practiced in some parts of the world. In Albania, women had a gate for such a situation, because there was a very unique custom of swearing in virgins. If a woman under traditional Kanun law took a sacred oath to be a virgin for the rest of her life, she gained the right to live and function as a man in society. This gave her many rights, because in the past in Albania a woman was treated only as a wife and mother, and being a sworn virgin, she could run a farm, carry a gun, sit at a clan table and perform many additional activities. She also gained the right to inherit property. It was so good for women that they could escape uncomfortable situations in this way. Also those where, for example, there was no male descendant by blood, then the daughter took such an oath and could lead her life safely and in abundance. Therefore, the oath was sometimes a choice, at other times a necessity resulting from family and cultural circumstances.

The "burrnesha", or "sworn virgins", is a fascinating, unique cultural phenomenon, present mainly in the north of Albania and in the neighboring Balkan regions. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, but it intensified in the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century. In the mountainous regions of Albania, such a solution was practiced by hundreds of women at once. Nowadays, the custom is almost extinct, but burrnesh still lives in some villages of northern Albania, although most of them are already elderly. If you are more interested in this topic, I recommend Martyna Wojciechowska's episode "Woman at the End of the World", in which she talks more about this phenomenon.

Accommodation in Albania - accommodation in Shkodra: Shkodra Harmony Residences

While visiting the Cursed Mountains, we had an accommodation base in Shkodër. Our facility is Shkodra Harmony Residences. We highly recommend this place, because it was not expensive, but very comfortable, modern, with a kitchenette and a terrace with a nice view. We paid 175 euros for 2 nights for 6 people. At this price, we had 2 apartments at our disposal. The first consisted of a living room with a kitchenette, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The second one had a living room with a kitchenette, a bathroom and 1 bedroom. Its rating is 9.5/10. The place was fantastic, and in addition we could park the car in the underground parking lot for the price of accommodation. The price also included the city tax. This information was on the booking and it is worth remembering so as not to pay the same fee on the spot twice.

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Our video from Albania

We also encourage you to see our film from this amazing country.

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