Editing Gjakova

{{Infobox settlement
| name = Gjakova
| native_name = Gjakovë
| settlement_type = City and municipality
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[Kosovo]]
| subdivision_type1 = District
| subdivision_name1 = District of Gjakova
| seat = Gjakova
| parts_type = Settlements
| parts = Gjakova and 88 villages
| area_total_km2 = 586
| population_as_of = 2024
| population_total = 78824
| timezone1 = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1 = +1
| timezone1_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST = +2
}}

'''Gjakova''' (Albanian: '''Gjakovë''') is a city and municipality in western [[Kosovo]]. It is the seat of the District of Gjakova and one of the main urban centres of the Dukagjini region. The municipality covers about 586 km² and includes Gjakova town and 88 villages.<ref name="klgi-profile"/>

The 2024 census recorded 78,824 inhabitants in Gjakova municipality.<ref name="ask-population"/>

== Geography ==
Gjakova lies in western Kosovo, near the Erenik River and the road corridor between [[Prizren]], [[Peja]], and the Albanian border. The municipality includes the urban area of Gjakova and rural settlements extending toward the surrounding lowland and upland areas.

The city's position made it a local trade point between western Kosovo, northern Albania, and the Prizren road. This position later appeared in the route structure used by [[Harku i Drenicës]], which separated storage in Gjakova from accounting and business fronts in Prizren.<ref name="leka-harku"/>

== History ==
Gjakova developed as an Ottoman market town. Its historic centre grew around the Old Bazaar and the Hadum Mosque. The Grand Bazaar was built after Gjakova gained city status in 1594/1595 and became a commercial and craft centre for western Kosovo.<ref name="tourist-attractions"/>

[[Arbëror Shpend Leka]] was born in Gjakova on 16 February 1951. His early weapons activity used repair yards, cafés, and the area around the Gjakova bus station before he expanded into larger supply chains.<ref name="leka-early-life"/>

On 4 April 1989, Leka established a warehouse outside Gjakova under the cover of a machine-parts business. The warehouse became the Gjakova storage point of Harku i Drenicës, while Prizren handled accounting and later financial cover.<ref name="leka-harku"/>

During the [[Kosovo Civil War]], the Prizren-Gjakova road was held by the Prizren National Directorate. Harku i Drenicës used the wider western Kosovo route system to move weapons, ammunition, and fuel between faction-controlled areas.<ref name="leka-civil-war"/>

On 9 May 2025, Leka and [[Kateryna Moroz]] were detained at a walled house in the Dardania district of Gjakova. They were moved from Gjakova to Pristina and then transferred to Bucharest for the [[Bucharest Tribunal]].<ref name="leka-capture"/>

== See also ==
* [[Kosovo]]
* [[Prizren]]
* [[Peja]]
* [[Arbëror Shpend Leka]]
* [[Harku i Drenicës]]
* [[Kosovo Civil War]]
* [[Bucharest Tribunal]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="klgi-profile">{{cite web |title=Gjakovë |url=https://www.klgi-ks.com/en/gjakove/ |website=Kosovo Local Government Institute |access-date=14 June 2026}}</ref>

<ref name="ask-population">{{cite web |title=Population by age, sex and municipality, 2011 and 2024 |url=https://askdata.rks-gov.net/pxweb/en/ASKdata/ASKdata__Census%20population__1_Demographic_Characteristics/census2024_00.px/ |website=Kosovo Agency of Statistics |access-date=14 June 2026}}</ref>

<ref name="tourist-attractions">{{cite web |title=Tourist attractions in the Municipality of Gjakova |url=https://mint.rks-gov.net/desk/inc/media/EF5407A0-8956-4902-A9A9-A68B8CAC15E9.pdf |website=Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade |access-date=14 June 2026}}</ref>

<ref name="leka-early-life">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Early life|Early life]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section identifying Gjakova as Leka's birthplace and describing his early activity around the market road, repair yards, and bus station. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>

<ref name="leka-harku">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Harku i Drenicës|Harku i Drenicës]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing the 4 April 1989 warehouse outside Gjakova, the route system through Drenica and Prizren, and Gjakova's storage role. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>

<ref name="leka-civil-war">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Kosovo Civil War|Kosovo Civil War]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing the Prizren-Gjakova road during the Kosovo Civil War and supply movements tied to Harku i Drenicës. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>

<ref name="leka-capture">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Capture and death|Capture and death]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing the 9 May 2025 detention of Leka and Kateryna Moroz at a house in Gjakova and their transfer through Pristina to Bucharest. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
}}

[[Category:Locations]]
[[Category:Kosovo]]
[[Category:Cities in Kosovo]]