Discover Vaqarr: Lakes, Pine Forest and History

Vaqarr offers several facets to consider separately when planning your trip: a lake created for irrigation, an artificial lake among the pines, an old castle and archaeological grave inscriptions. There is also Fërgesa, also called Tavë dheu, which is considered a characteristic local speciality. This gives you ways to plan a stay around different themes without treating nature and history as a single excursion destination.

Lakes and Pine Forest

Fortuzaj Lake was created for irrigation in the 1970s and 1980s. Green spaces and trees shape the landscape around the lake. Its original purpose gives this place a distinct focus: the history of irrigation is part of the picture here, alongside the surrounding nature.

Prushi Lake is artificial and surrounded by pines; lush vegetation also characterizes its surroundings. Visitors can go for a walk or hike there. Compared with Fortuzaj Lake, the emphasis here is on the green surroundings and outdoor activities, while Fortuzaj is primarily defined by its irrigation function.

A particularly dense and distinctive area of pine forest extends mainly across the villages of Lalm, Allgjatë, Prushaj and Gropë. Pines are therefore a recurring feature of the landscape: they shape the forest area described here and also surround Prushi Lake.

Castle and Archaeological Finds

Lalmi Castle, also called Bijit Castle, is located on Pyramid Hill in Vaqarr. It was built around the 4th century AD. A description published in 2020 mentions a path leading from Prushi Lake through the pines to the castle.

The Vaqarr area has been inhabited since antiquity; castles and other archaeological finds provide evidence of this long history of settlement. An ancient limestone tombstone bearing a funerary inscription for a freed slave was discovered in Lalm. The upper section of a limestone stele comes from Allgjatë. Its epitaph commemorates a slave who died young in the 1st or 2nd century. The stele from Allgjatë is kept at the Archaeological Museum. The two finds differ in where they were discovered and in the inscription that has been preserved: the tombstone from Lalm mentions the person’s emancipation, while the epitaph from Allgjatë records the young age at death and the period.

A Regional Taste

Local cuisine can also play a part in planning your trip. Fërgesa, also called Tavë dheu, is considered a characteristic speciality of the Vaqarr area. Alongside the lakes, forest and archaeological traces, regional food culture and its traditional name are another theme to explore.

Getting to Prushi Lake

To reach Prushi Lake, follow the road from Tirana to Vaqarr and turn right towards the village of Prush before arriving in Vaqarr. Check the current route before setting out, as road conditions may change.

Discover more destinations: Kus, Priske e Vogel, Mullet, Petrelë, Vorë, Kavajë, Kamëz, Baldushk.

For the wider travel overview: Tiranë.