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108-517: Tuzi is situated to the northwest of Lake Shkodra, 10 km from Podgorica, 150 km from Dubrovnik (Croatia) and 130 km to Tirana (Albania). It is surrounded by forests and mountains that are further connected with the Accursed Mountains . The town of Tuzi is situated in southeastern Montenegro, between Podgorica and the Skadar lake . The Albanian community of Tuzi descend from

216-490: A "similar attitude towards food," whereas Chicago 's link with Warsaw , Poland began with Chicago's historic Polish community . The twinning of Indianapolis with Monza , Italy, is due to both cities' long association with auto racing . A twin towns program was instituted in the United States in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a citizen diplomacy initiative. Sister Cities International (SCI)

324-519: A "tuning" partnership based on a shared musical heritage and culture offer, at the initiative of Bristol Mayor George Ferguson . Annecy , France and Nerima , Tokyo have for several years shared a partnership based on their "co-existent animation industry". Toledo, United States twinned with Toledo, Spain in 1931, and was the first city in North America to engage in town twinning. Vancouver, Canada twinned with Odesa, Ukraine in 1944,

432-550: A clear core. Among the biggest are Tamara and Selca, both in the valley of the Cem and belonging to the community of the Kelmend . The community of eight villages – including Vermosh – comprises 6,600 inhabitants. Tamara is currently the only place in the central mountains with infrastructure such as a secondary school. Tamara and Vermosh share a maternity hospital. Until the collapse of communism there were such facilities, for example, in

540-534: A common etymology . These similarities usually arise from sharing the same or related language or having been a colony or previously conquered. The twinning of towns and cities is sometimes done for political purposes. The Hungarian city Gyöngyös was twinned with the Azerbaijani city of Shusha in 2013, signing the twinning agreement with representatives from the Azerbaijani government; Hungary recognised Shusha as de jure part of Azerbaijan , even though it

648-575: A factory in the Republic of Karelia in Russia and offered the same profit-sharing plan to its Russian employees. China's sister city relationships are managed by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries , a united front organization. Sister city initiatives are an increasingly widespread mechanism for Chinese public diplomacy . From the early 2000s until 2024,

756-499: A gift of timber from his native country for use in the new Civic Theatre, which when finished was named Belgrade Theatre . The purpose of twinnings was then expanded to encourage trade and tourism or to reflect other links, such as towns sharing the same name or migration links. By the 2000s, town twinning became increasingly used to form strategic international business links among member cities, and may include localities of any scope such as villages, prefectures, or countries. In

864-401: A hierarchical relationship. In the 2010s, Tokyo began to actively promote 'city diplomacy' with other global cities at the initiative of governor Yoichi Masuzoe . Relationships between communities can also arise because of shared names; they may be named after one community (as in the case of Córdoba ), they may share names (as in the case of Santiago de Compostela ), or their names may have

972-611: A link that still exists. Since 9 April 1956 Rome and Paris have been exclusively and reciprocally twinned with each other, following the motto: "Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris." Within Europe, town twinning is supported by the European Union. The support scheme was established in 1989. In 2003 an annual budget of about € 12 million was allocated to about 1,300 projects. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions also works closely with

1080-558: A sister-city or twin-city relationship, but the first officially documented case of such a relationship was a signed agreement between the leaders of the cities of Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain in 1931. However, the modern concept of town twinning appeared during the Second World War. More specifically, it was inspired by the bombing of Coventry on 14 November 1940, known as the Coventry Blitz . First conceived by

1188-409: A sort of international relations that works in parallel to the conventional system involving embassies, ambassadors, and treaties negotiated at the level of nation states . According to Rodrigo Tavares , the earliest formal attempts to establish city diplomacy across national boundaries took place in the 19th century. Only a handful of cities were involved in the 19th-century efforts; it was not until

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1296-431: A sub-Mediterranean character. Various evergreen bushes are found in the deepest valleys of the canyons and sunny slopes, and in the higher valleys deciduous Shibljak shrubs are common. In the mountains over 100 medicinal herbs are found, including species of the genus Primula , Satureja and Sideritis . Because of its altitude and its favored habitat, the range is one of the centers of arcto-alpine relict flora of

1404-622: A subspecies of the Eurasian lynx , is mainly found in the Theth National Park where about roughly 20–50 individuals still roam, though poaching is still a large threat. Chamois are found throughout the high altitudes; about 720 chamois live between the borders of Kosovo and Montenegro. There is speculation that the mouflon roamed the Accursed Mountains until World War I, when it disappeared. Bird species include

1512-546: A twin town. Twinned towns are often chosen because of similarities between them; thus about 15 towns in Wales are twinned with towns in Brittany , and Oxford is with Bonn , Leiden , Grenoble and other university cities. In Italy, two sets of twins are Rovigo with Viernheim , and Bedford with Tulcea . Many former West German cities are twinned with former East German cities; these twinning links were established before

1620-707: A variant of the alpine Wulfenie, but 700 km away it does not grow. Petasites doerfleri is only found on the Jezerca peaks, and the Albanian lily Lilium albanicum and Viola ducagjinica are only found at the top of the Maja Radohimës slope. Also noteworthy is the Viola vilaensis Hayek . Viola chelmea belong to a violet species that occur on the Montenegrin-Albanian border area, especially at

1728-423: Is also common. Aspens ( Populus tremula ) grow in damp sites alongside mountain maple ( Acer pseudoplatanus ) and Norway spruce ( Picea abies ). The Accursed Mountains are one of the southernmost areas where spruce grow in Europe. The "combat zones" of the forest are formed with dense thickets of mountain pine ( Pinus mugos) . Conifers like the snakeskin pine ( Pinus heldreichii ) are on carbonate rocks and

1836-554: Is currently the size of six football pitches, vary in size every year according to the amount of winter snowfall and temperatures during the following summer. Their average total surface area is 5 hectares (0.019 sq mi). Glacier-climate modeling suggests that these glaciers require annual accumulation of between 4,137 and 5,531 mm (162.9 and 217.8 in) (rainfall equivalent) to balance melting, which would correspond to between 49.7 and 66.4 metres (163.1 and 217.8 ft) of snow. A significant proportion of this accumulation

1944-415: Is in a separate smaller painting (above its main one) showing a beech tree, intended as a symbol of prosperity and from which Carshalton Beeches in the borough derives its name. Another example of the use of public art is the wall sculpture of the partner cities of Munich , Germany. A recent study has concluded that geographical distance has very little, if any, influence upon communities' selections of

2052-508: Is likely to be sourced from windblown snow and, in particular, avalanching snow. It is estimated that the total accumulation needed to balance melting is potentially up to twice the amount accumulated from direct precipitation. The presence of these glaciers, amongst the southernmost in Europe, at altitudes well below the regional snow line highlights the importance of local controls on glacier development. The geographers think at least eight glaciers were present in neighbouring mountains during

2160-409: Is normal. At higher elevations snow is found even in summer, except in very dry years. There are at least five active glaciers that probably formed during the late Holocene period, and some inactive glaciers between 1,980 and 2,420 meters high. The trough valleys of Ropojani, Grbaja and Valbona were carved by kilometres of glaciers during the last ice age . Detailed geomorphological mapping

2268-566: Is not widely spread, although in the high altitudes snow and fern fields can also keep during the summer on four very small glaciers at high altitudes, the highest one found in the shade of Jezerca. Beech , fir and silicate spruce forests dominate the mountain areas. Rarely, however, the Northern Europe species are found, typically the Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ). The drought-resistant Mediterranean-sized black pine ( Pinus nigra )

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2376-531: Is still steep, winding and narrow in places. From Theth, there is a bad track down to the Shala Valley Church and only a walking path along the river leads to Shkodra. SH22 road over the Qafa e Morinës at Bajram Curri after Gjakova has been reconstructed. In the past, the only route for crossing the border between Montenegro and Kosovo was via Rugova Canyon , which was very dangerous and steep. With

2484-612: Is the first named progenitor of the Tuzi tribe ( fis ), which gave its name to the settlement of Tuzi. The Suma and Tuzi fis formed the vast majority of the later Gruda community. Tuzi was documented in the Ottoman defter of 1485 as part of the Timar of Hasan Arnauti , with 24 houses and 6 bachelors. Albanian anthroponomy dominated amongst the inhabitants of Tuzi, with names such as Leka , Ulku , Deda , Nika , Pali etc. Following

2592-701: Is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the fifth highest peak in Albania. The range includes the mountain Zla Kolata , which, at 2,534 m (8,314 ft), is the tallest mountain in Montenegro. The range also includes the mountain Gjeravica , which, at 2,656 m (8,714 ft), is the second tallest mountain in Kosovo. One of the southernmost glacial masses in Europe

2700-447: Is twinned with Dorval, Quebec ; Huai'an, China , and Neyagawa, Osaka , Japan. Town twinning begins for a variety of reasons. Generally, partner towns have similar demographics and size. They may arise from business connections, travel, similar industries, diaspora communities, or shared history. For example, the partnership between Portland, Oregon and Bologna , Italy arose from shared industries in biotechnology and education, and

2808-565: The Albanian Alps ( Albanian : Alpet Shqiptare ; Serbo-Croatian : Албански Алпи , Albanski Alpi ), is a mountain range in coastal Southeast Europe adjacent to the Adriatic Sea . It is the southernmost subrange of the 1,000-kilometre-long (621 mi) Dinaric Alps range (Dinarides), extending from northern Albania to western Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro . Maja Jezercë , standing at 2,694 m (8,839 ft),

2916-644: The Alps , these mountains are the most glaciated in Europe south of the Scandinavian ice sheet . They have very steep limestone slopes with abundant karst features. The Accursed Mountains are a large, rugged, pathless range. It is one of the rare mountain ranges in Europe that has not been explored entirely. In some areas, the Accursed Mountains run almost parallel with the Šar Mountains in North Macedonia , Albania and Kosovo. This tectonic crash produced

3024-772: The Buni Jezercë group of lakes on the northern side of the Jezerca Peak , the Ridsko Lake, the Bukumirsko Lake and the Rikavačko Lake. A recent report from geographers at the University of Manchester details the discovery of four previously unknown glaciers in the Albanian part of the mountain range at 1980–2100 m high, found in the area close to Maja e Jezerces. The glaciers, the largest of which

3132-561: The Great Schism of 1054, the tribes of Tuzi embraced Roman Catholicism over Eastern Orthodoxy . Following the expansion of Ottoman rule in the Balkans in the 14th century, many gradually converted to Islam . Some of them adopted new surnames common among Ottoman Muslims while others kept their original surnames. Albanian surnames present among Muslim and Christian families alike include Gjokaj, Nikaj, Dreshaj, etc. The Albanian flag

3240-730: The Maja Harapit is 800 metres (2,600 ft) high, making it the highest rock face on the Balkan Peninsula. Although some scientific research gives the Accursed Mountains the status of a separate mountain chain, in most other ways this chain is still considered the highest of all Dinaric areas, connected with the Dinaric mountain chain in terms of geology, morphology, and ethnography. The Accursed Mountains are made up of many large sections or mountain massifs/groups, all of which are connected to one another. These massifs include

3348-837: The Montenegrin Third League . The local basketball team is KB Deçiq which competes in the highest tier Prva A Liga . According to 2011 census, the town of Tuzi has a population of 4,748, while Tuzi Municipality has 11,422 residents. Tuzi is twinned with: Vasić, Milan (2005). Naselja na Balkanskom Poluostrvu od XVI do XVIII Vijeka (in Serbian). Banja Luka: Narodna I Univerzitetska Biblioteka Republike Srpske. ISBN   99938-0-584-X . Accursed Mountains The Accursed Mountains ( Albanian : Bjeshkët e Nemuna ; Serbo-Croatian : Проклетије , Prokletije , pronounced [prɔklɛ̌tijɛ] ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as

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3456-510: The Suva Planina (1,750 metres (5,740 ft)) massif that encircles Dukagjin basin from the north and northwest. The Accursed Mountains are ethnographically and sociologically diverse with many tribes living in the region as sheep herders. Names of various Albanian tribes ( Hoti , Gruda , Kelmendi , Kastrati , Dukagjini , Shkreli , Shala , Nikaj , Krasniqi , Gashi , Kuci and Rugova) refer to their geographical locations within

3564-723: The World Economic Forum . In addition to C40, other organisations facilitating city diplomacy include the World Cities Summit , City Mayors Foundation , the Smart City Expo World Congress , the Strong City Network and 100 Resilient Cities. As of 2016, there were over 125 such multilateral networks and forums to facilitate international collaboration between different municipal authorities. A Bill introduced in

3672-510: The fence lizard , green lizard , Greek tortoise and snakes such as the true vipers, including the venomous horned viper and adder . The Accursed Mountains have one endemic species of lizard, the Prokletije rock lizard or Dinarolacerta montenegrina , named after the range. British climbers Sleeman, Elmalie and Ellwood were the first to reach the summit of Maja Jezercë on 26 July 1929. Years later Austrian mountaineers also scaled

3780-523: The golden eagle , snake eagle , honey buzzard , peregrine falcon , capercaillie , rock partridge , scops owl , Eurasian eagle owl and the snow finch . So far 140 species of butterflies have been found, which makes the Accursed Mountains the richest area in Europe for butterflies. The rivers are home to a growing number of marble trout . Among the amphibians are the alpine salamander (southernmost habitat), fire salamander , yellow-bellied toad and fire-bellied toad . The rich herpetofauna include

3888-585: The 15th century, and some valleys have been inhabited since the Stone Age . At the end of communism, however, several thousand people emigrated and depopulated the area. SH20 road crosses the Accursed Mountains in the Kelmend region of northwestern Albania, stretching from the eastern shore of Lake Scutari at the Han i Hotit border crossing with Montenegro, to the first pass into the valley of Cem. It then leads to

3996-581: The 1990s, when the Nottingham City Council in the UK considered installing a tram network, it consulted experts from its twin city of Karlsruhe , which has one of the most extensive and efficient tram networks in Germany. With assistance from Karlsruhe's specialist engineers, Nottingham completed its second tram line in 2013. In 2014, Bristol and New Orleans announced their intention to form

4104-569: The 19th century, correlating with the culmination of the Little Ice Age in the European Alps. The vegetation of the Accursed Mountains is among the richest on the Balkan Peninsula and one of the main central European regions for flora . To date, 1,611 wild plants have been described in the Albanian part alone. As of 2013 50 flora species are endemic , sub-endemic and endangered plant species. The southern edge of mountains have

4212-533: The 2019 session of the US Congress would have legislated for a City and State Diplomacy Act to create a new Office of Subnational Diplomacy at the Department of State . H.R.3571 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): City and State Diplomacy Act. Recently, the field of city diplomacy has taken a step beyond city-to-city exchanges to target the facilitation of dialogue between cities and multilateral organs, such as

4320-615: The Accursed Mountains and the Visitor range . Waterfalls are found in some parts of the range. The White Drin Waterfall in Kosovo reaches a height of 25 m (82 ft). Because it is not far from Peja , it is easily accessible and frequented by many visitors. The Grunas Waterfall in Albania is 30 m (98 ft) high and is in the Theth National Park . The Ali Pasha natural springs in Montenegro near Gusinje are

4428-405: The Accursed Mountains — one each in Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania. Illegal deforestation is a major problem. To some extent even the national parks are affected. In dry summers forest fires are common. All the large mammals including wolves, chamois, foxes, badgers and wild boar are hunted without regard to national park boundaries. In Albania, the new, enlarged Alps of Albania National Park

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4536-588: The Adriatic. Water levels fluctuate because the karst topography drains the water underground. Some rivers or streams, such as Përroi i Thatë in Albania, dry out completely during the summer droughts. Although the Lumbardhi i Pejës river in Kosovo is short, it is very powerful and carved the Rugova Canyon. There are about 20 small alpine lakes of glacial origin in the Accursed Mountains. Many lakes are in

4644-444: The Balkan Peninsula. Out of 77 arcto-alpine species of former glacial flora on the Balkan Peninsula, a little over 50 species can be found in the Accursed Mountains. The levels of vegetation in the Accursed Mountains meet the alpine level, from upland valleys through the montane mountain stage on forest-free alpine and subalpine mats and subnivale tundra caused by permafrost in vast heaps of rubble with raw soils. A real snow level

4752-678: The Bogiçevica border area between Kosovo and Albania and the Buni i Jezercë trough near the Jezerca and Bojs peaks. Some lakes, such as Lake Liqenat in Kosovo and Hrid Lake in Montenegro, are tourist attractions. Hrid Lake is a clear example of a well-preserved glacial relief. In the Pleistocene period this was a collection area for ice that fell down over steps of rock from surrounding peaks, dragging with it heterogeneous material. Precipitation washed away smaller rocks, but larger ones remain on

4860-512: The Dutch city was still occupied by the German Army in the final months of the war, and children from each city took part in exchanges in 1945 and 1946. Similarly, in 1947, Bristol Corporation (later Bristol City Council) sent five "leading citizens" on a goodwill mission to Hanover . Reading in 1947 was the first British town to form links with a former "enemy" city – Düsseldorf ,

4968-584: The French town; formal twinning charters were not exchanged until 1986. The practice was continued after the Second World War as a way to promote mutual understanding and cross-border projects of mutual benefit. For example, Coventry twinned with Stalingrad and later with Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, all three cities having been heavily bombed during the war. The city of Bath formed an " Alkmaar Adoption committee" in March 1945, when

5076-875: The Kakinjes group at 2,359 m (7,740 ft), the Shkëlzen group at 2,407 m (7,897 ft), the Bogićevica group at 2,533 m (8,310 ft), the Horolac group at 2,199 m (7,215 ft), the Kershi Kocaj group at 2,399 m (7,871 ft), the Maja e Zezë group at 2,400 m (7,900 ft), the Lumbardhit group at 2,522 m (8,274 ft), the Kopranik group at 2,460 m (8,070 ft),

5184-629: The Lim and those that enter the White Drin and meet the Black Drin downstream at the Drin confluence. The southern and eastern slopes of the Accursed Mountains fall into the latter category. The Tara and Lim rivers, two major sources of the Dinaric river system, originate on the northern borders of the Accursed Mountains. The Vërmosh originates in the northwest mountainous part in Montenegro, close to

5292-560: The Macedonian pine ( Pinus peuce ) of silicates are typical elements of the endemic Balkan flora. A cushion-sedge and blue grass lawn of ( Seslerion juncifoliae ) grows in alpine areas and, on shallow limestone soils, Oxytropidion dinaricae , to which the alpine grass krumm grows as in the Alps . Other plants include Alpine aster Aster alpinus , edelweiss Leontopodium alpinum and white mountain avens Dryas octopetala . These plants are atypical alpine plants specially adapted to

5400-528: The Mediterranean zone of the western Balkans . The southern boundary of the Accursed Mountains is at the river Drin and its tributary Valbona . In a broader sense, the Accursed Mountains also include the mountain ranges to Mitrovica with the Hajla and Mokna massifs. Some authors, however, see the river Lim as the northern boundary of the Accursed Mountains in geological terms. From Lake Skadar,

5508-633: The Netherlands, the term is jumelage , partnerstad or stedenband ("city bond" when providing mutual support). In Greece, the word αδελφοποίηση ( adelphopiisi  – fraternisation) has been adopted. In Iceland, the terms vinabæir (friend towns) and vinaborgir (friend cities) are used. In the former Soviet Bloc , "twin towns" and "twin cities" were used, and in Russian, they use города-побратимы (sworn brother cities). The Americas, South Asia, and Australasia use

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5616-435: The Popluks group with a height of 2,694 m (8,839 ft), the Shkurt group at 2,554 m (8,379 ft), the Radohimës group at 2,570 m (8,430 ft), the Zaborës e Krasniçës at 2,625 m (8,612 ft), the Bjelic group at 2,556 m (8,386 ft), the Karanfili-Brada group at 2,554 m (8,379 ft), the Rabës group at 2,232 m (7,323 ft), the Ershellit group at 2,066 m (6,778 ft),

5724-470: The Scottish village of Dull and the US town of Boring, Oregon , agreed to twin their municipalities to promote tourism in both places, playing on their names. Recently some towns have made novelty twinning arrangements with fictional or virtual locations. Wincanton , England is partnered with Ankh-Morpork from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld books . Town twinning has increasingly been used to form strategic international business links. For example, in

5832-451: The Shala Valley. Many residents of the villages in the interior such as Boga, Theth or Valbona live there only in the summer months, as the villages are cut off for many weeks during winter. In addition to the seasonal migration, the whole mountain area is suffering from a severe " brain drain ", as its income from agriculture is low. Many leave to seek work and a little more comfort in the region of Shkodra and Koplik, Tirana or abroad. As

5940-427: The Strellc group at 2,377 m (7,799 ft), the Gjeravica group at 2,656 m (8,714 ft), the Junik group at 2,296 m (7,533 ft), the Starac-Qokorr group 2,426 m (7,959 ft), the Hajla group at 2,403 m (7,884 ft), the Stedim-Ahmica group at 2,272 m (7,454 ft), the Zleb-Rusulija group at 2,382 m (7,815 ft), the Mokna group at 2,155 m (7,070 ft) and

6048-489: The Suva Planina group at 1,750 m (5,740 ft). Erosion during glaciation left many telltale features behind. Deep river canyons and flat valleys wind around the ridges of the mountains. The largest canyon is Rugova Canyon . It is situated in Kosovo and is 25 km (16 mi) long from the border with Montenegro to Peja and is 1,000 m (3,281 ft) deep. It has very steep vertical mountain slopes on both sides. Valleys common at lower altitudes are found at

6156-445: The US). In Japan, the international city relations may be split into multiple terms, such as Sister Cities, Friendship Cooperation Cities, Business Partner Cities (BPC), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Sister Ports / Friendship Ports, etc. China mostly uses the term "friendship cooperation cities" rather than "sister cities", as the Chinese words for sisters, "姐妹" (reading: jiěmèi, literally elder sister and younger sister), could imply

6264-407: The United Kingdom, the term "twin towns" is most commonly used; the term "sister cities" is generally used for agreements with towns and cities in the Americas. In mainland Europe, the most commonly used terms are "twin towns", "partnership towns", "partner towns", and "friendship towns". The European Commission uses the term "twinned towns" and refers to the process as "town twinning". Spain uses

6372-706: The United Nations. Not only cities and towns, but also provinces, states, territories, and regions enter into twinning agreements. For example, the Canadian province of Alberta has "sister province" agreements with Gangwon, South Korea (since 1974), Hokkaido, Japan (since 1980), Heilongjiang, China (1981), Jalisco, Mexico (1999), Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine (2004), Lviv, Ukraine (2005), Guangdong, China (2017), and California, United States (2018), as well as policy-oriented (as opposed to economic and cultural) agreements with Nevada, United States (since 2013), Missouri, United States (2015), and Texas, United States (2018). The earliest known town twinning in Europe

6480-462: The alpine level, creating mountain passes and valley troughs, such as Buni Jezerce in Albania. Buni Jezerce means "Valley of the Lakes" and it contains six small glacial lakes, the biggest being called the Big lake of Buni Jezerce . Canyons in the Accursed Mountains Valleys in the Accursed Mountains The Accursed Mountains contain several notable rivers of the region. Rivers in this range fall roughly into two main categories, those that flow into

6588-416: The area that will be called the Balkans Peace Park. The Accursed Mountains are home to Albanians , Montenegrins , Serbs and Bosniaks , but they are only very sparsely populated. At the edges there are some settlements: the Albanian Koplik and the Montenegrin Tuzi in the west near the Skadar Lake; Plav and Gusinje in of the northern valley of the upper Lim river in Montenegro and Bajram Curri ,

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6696-407: The ascent on 18 June 1972, needing three and a half days to finish this first ascent. The Accursed Mountains are a typical Dinaric karst high mountain range with a pronounced steep topography and glacial features. Maximum relief differences of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) are found in the Valbona , Grbaja and Ropojani and Cem valleys. Overhanging walls and ridges forming pointed peaks are typical of

6804-413: The border with Albania. As a tributary of the Drina it drains into the Danube and then into the Black Sea . The Lim flows through the Plav lake. The Ibar , which originates on the slopes of the Hajla , takes a similar route into the Danube via the West Morava in Serbia. In the southern Accursed Mountains, the Drin dominates. It drains most of the ranges with its tributaries and when measured from

6912-470: The commission (DG Education and Culture) to promote modern, high quality twinning initiatives and exchanges that involve all sections of the community. It has launched a website dedicated to town twinning. As of 1995, the European Union had more than 7,000 bilateral relationships involving almost 10,000 European municipalities, primarily French (2837 twinnings) and German (2485 twinnings). Public art has been used to celebrate twin town links, for instance in

7020-482: The construction of the Peja – Rožaje highway the situation has greatly improved. In addition, SH42 road leading to Razem from SH21 has also been recently reconstructed. Historically, a caravan route between Podgorica and Plav crossed the mountains along the Lim and Cem rivers. Twin towns and sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for

7128-410: The fall of the Iron Curtain . Famous examples are the partnerships of Hanover and Leipzig , both of which have important trade fair grounds , or between Hamburg and Dresden. The first US-German town twinning was in 1947 between Worthington, Minnesota and Crailsheim . St Petersburg in Russia holds the record for the largest number of partnership arrangements with other communities. In June 2012,

7236-412: The flag. It was one of three banners brought to Malësia by Palokë Traboini, student in Austria. The other two banners were used by Ujka of Gruda and Prelë Luca of Triepshi . During the Islamization of the region, the area had a mixed Slavic-Albanian composition of names. For example, Mahmut and Husein were sons of Abdulah, Osman which was the son of Živo, then Ibrahim and then Gojaš. In Gruda, Hizar

7344-403: The form of seven mural paintings in the centre of the town of Sutton , Greater London. The five main paintings show a number of the main features of the London Borough of Sutton and its four twin towns, along with the heraldic shield of each above the other images. Each painting also features a plant as a visual representation of its town's environmental awareness . In the case of Sutton this

7452-507: The genocide in 2016, some twin agreements such as Edirne – Haskovo were terminated by Turkey. China manages sister city relationships through the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). In April 2019, CPAFFC president Li Xiaolin said, “Friendship city relations have become one of the important channels to implement the Belt and Road Initiative .” In January 2020, Shanghai canceled its sister city relationship with Prague after Prague's mayor signed

7560-496: The high alpine areas as well as the Rugova Canyon and important rivers. A part of Maja e Ropës mountain was declared a floral mountain reserve by Yugoslavia in 1955, covering an area of 25 ha (62 acres) of mainly Macedonian pine, pine and beech. In the same year the Kozhnjar area was declared a fauna reserve in particular to protect the chamois, covering an area of 161 ha (400 acres). As of 2010, Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro are planning to create another tri-state park in

7668-590: The lake Bukumirsko Jezero at 2,100 meters, and are only found on Asia Minor and the Balkans where they can grow due to woody, robust rhizome, cleistogamous flowers, and a lack of foothills. The Accursed Mountains are also the only European area where the Tertiary relic Forsythia europaea grow. Large mammal species that have long been extinct in other regions are found here, such as the Eurasian brown bear , grey wolf , golden jackal , red fox , European wildcat , roe deer , fallow deer , red deer , wild boar and European otter . The highly endangered Balkan lynx,

7776-619: The late Palaeozoic and Triassic periods, medium-Triassic volcanic rocks and Jurassic metamorphic rocks . The Kalktafel is cut deeply with valleys in a variety of rock blocks of the mountains north of Përroi i Thatë, the Biga e Gimajive south of it, the Jezerca block between Shala and Valbona valley, the massif of the Maja e Hekurave, the plateau of the Maja e Kolats north of Valbona and Shkëlzen northeast of Valbona. The valleys were formed by glaciers which created very steep walls and hollows up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) deep. The south wall of

7884-443: The main town of the district Tropoja , in the eastern part of the mountain range. Even the somewhat more distant, larger cities of Shkodra , Podgorica , Gjakova and Peja create their sphere of influence and are frequently visited by inhabitants of the highlands for errands, administrative procedures and market sales. In the mountains, villages only have up to a few hundred inhabitants. They are often scattered settlements without

7992-449: The mountains stretch northeast along the Cem river then curve slightly to the east in the direction of Gjeravica summit above the western Kosovo (450m) basin. From here, the Accursed Mountains turn northwards over the Bogićevica massif and Čakor pass and continue with another row of mountains. The Accursed Mountains finish in the area of upper Ibar River valley near Mitrovica , just after

8100-569: The mountains their name as they struggled to march through them. Both the Albanian ( Bjeshkët e Nemuna ) and Serbo-Croatian ( Prokletije ) names mean "cursed (mountains)". The Accursed Mountains, the southernmost part of the Dinaric Alps , stretch more than 60 kilometres (40 mi) from Lake Skadar along the Montenegrin–Albanian border in the southwest to Kosovo in the northeast. These points are at 42°45' and 42°15' N in

8208-583: The number of China's sister city relationships doubled. More than one-third of Chinese sister city relationships are with sister cities in the east Asia Pacific region. Town twinning is supported in Japan by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations , a joint agency of local governments established by the Japanese government in 1988 (similar to Sister Cities International , its counterpart in

8316-500: The number of tourists rose from 300 to around 7,500 per year. Unlike in the rest of Albania, the increase was due to foreign tourists. Lakes such as Plav and Hrid also receive many tourists during the summer months. In many villages there are small hydroelectric power plants that supply the village with electricity. The 192 km Peaks of the Balkans Trail connects all three countries. Many villages were already settled by

8424-451: The premium attraction for the town. Peaks over 2,600 m (8,530 ft) Peaks over 2,500 m (8,202 ft) Peaks over 2,400 m (7,874 ft) Peaks under 2,400 m (7,874 ft) The Accursed Mountains are on the whole the wettest area of Europe. In the village of Boga in the valley, precipitation is 3,033 millimetres (119.4 in) per year, and otherwise 2,000 to 2,500 millimetres (79 to 98 in) per year

8532-440: The purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of international links between municipalities akin to what are known as sister cities or twin towns today dating back to the 9th century, the modern concept was first established and adopted worldwide during World War II . Throughout history, many cities have participated in various cultural exchanges and similar activities that might resemble

8640-504: The range. On the Montenegrin side of this mountain range, on the rock wall of the summit Koplje, there's a rock climbing route which is the most difficult in this region. The route is called "Prvo Koplje" and its first ascent was made by the alpinists Žarko Gostović (1950-2019) from Skopje , Macedonia and Ante Bedalov (1952-1974) from Kaštel Kambelovac , Croatia . The two climbed this route starting from 15 June 1972, and finishing

8748-477: The short growing season, UV radiation, cold and thin soils. The flora in the rocky areas of the Accursed Mountains are particularly noteworthy, because they are rare rich and endemic species, including the Tertiary relic Amphoricarpos neumayeri . Many species of flora are either endemic or are mainly found in the Accursed Mountains. A plantain plant Plantaginaceae is found in the central Accursed Mountains as

8856-527: The source elevation of the Qafa e Predelecit after Vermosh, followed by another border crossing, ending at Gusinje. As of 2015 the SH20 stretch between Hani Hotit and Tamare has been paved and upgraded to European standards. From west to east, there is only the SH21 road recently paved from Koplik to Boga. The road from Qafa Thores leading to Theth has been recently paved with crash barriers and guard rails added, but

8964-660: The source of the White Drin in Radavc to the mouth of the Drin near Lezha , it is 335 km (208 mi) long. However, not all of the Drin flows near or parallel to the Accursed Mountains. One Drin tributary is the Valbona , which drains into the Adriatic Sea , and its eastern tributary the Gashi River. To the west of the mountains is the Cem , which drains the northwestern part of the Montenegrin-Albanian border area to

9072-450: The southwestern and western lake shore. The lake is 295 m (968 ft) long, 110 m (360 ft) wide and about 5 m (16 ft) deep on average. In addition to precipitation, it receives water from sources near its shores. The largest lake is Lake Plav in Montenegro. The lake lies at an altitude of 906 m (2,972 ft) above sea level in the Plav valley, nestled between

9180-526: The subsequent Mayor Emily Smith – had their names embroidered on a tablecloth along with the words "Little help is better than a lot of pity" and sent it, along with money (each donated six pence), to the people of Stalingrad. The tablecloth can now be seen at the Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad. The twinning between Coventry and Stalingrad was formalized in 1944 and, after the end of

9288-431: The summit. Many explorers and scientists have visited the Accursed Mountains, collecting rocks and samples to display in museums. Before any of these expeditions, the highest peak of the range was believed to be Shkëlzen at 2,407 m (7,897 ft) high, followed by Maja Radohimës at 2,570 m (8,432 ft). By early summer 1929 all the summits were measured by Italian geodetes. There are three national parks in

9396-788: The surrounding tribes of Hoti , Gruda , Trieshi and Koja , which are part of the Malësor tribes . Tuzi was mentioned in 1330 in the Dečani chrysobulls as part of the Albanian ( arbanas ) katun (semi-nomadic pastoral community) of Llesh Tuzi ( Ljesa Tuzi in the original), in an area stretching southwards from modern Tuzi Municipality along the Lake Skadar to a village near modern Koplik . This katund included many communities that later formed their own separate communities: Reçi and his sons, Matagushi , Bushati and his sons, Pjetër Suma and Pjetër Kuçi, first known ancestor of Kuči . Llesh Tuzi

9504-483: The term "ciudades hermanadas", which means "sister cities". Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic each use Partnerstadt (German), miasto partnerskie (Polish) and partnerské město (Czech), which translate as "partner town" or "partner city". France uses ville jumelée (jumelage, twinned town or city), and Italy has gemellaggio (twinning) and comune gemellato (twinned municipality). In

9612-523: The term "sister cities" or "twin cities". In China, the term is 友好城市 (yǒuhǎo chéngshì – friendly cities). Sometimes, other government bodies enter into a twinning relationship, such as the agreement between the provinces of Hainan in China and Jeju in South Korea. The Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union. Though

9720-454: The term is often used interchangeably with the term "friendship city", this may mean a relationship with a more limited scope in comparison to a sister city relationship, and friendship city relationships are mayor-to-mayor agreements. City diplomacy is a form of paradiplomacy that involves discussions between officials and residents of different cities. Often these cities will be located in different countries. As such, city diplomacy involves

9828-539: The then Mayor of Coventry , Alfred Robert Grindlay , culminating in his renowned telegram to the people of Stalingrad (now Volgograd ) in 1942, the idea emerged as a way of establishing solidarity links between cities in allied countries that went through similar devastating events. The comradeship between the two cities continued, when again in response to the Battle of Stalingrad , 830 women in Coventry – led by

9936-418: The turn of the millennium that it became much more common. The first priority of those carrying out city diplomacy typically overlaps with the core aims of municipal government – improving the lives of local residents. Yet they will often collaborate with peers in other cities to work on issues of planet-wide concern, such as efforts to address climate change . The phrase "city diplomacy" is formally used in

10044-497: The unusual zig-zag shape of the range and also their curving from the dominant Dinaric northwestern – southeastern direction toward the northeastern one. In the western and central parts of the range the composition of the mountains is of mainly uniform with Mesozoic limestones and dolomites of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ages. In the eastern Accursed Mountains in addition to the limestone and dolomite series, there are rocks from

10152-407: The war, similar links were established to foster friendship and understanding among former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation, with new twinnings between Coventry and German cities: Kiel as early as in 1947 and Dresden in 1956. In 1957, Coventry was officially twinned with Belgrade, even though the link actually dates back to 1953 when then Yugoslav Ambassador visited Coventry and offered

10260-502: The western and central Accursed Mountains. The eastern mountains are less rugged with lower relief. The valleys show characteristic effects of Pleistocene glaciation. Most of the area was modified by glacial activity with karstic areas in the western parts. The range was formed by the folding resulting from the collision of the African and Eurasian plates . Nowhere in the Balkans have glaciers left so much evidence of erosion. After

10368-826: The workings of the United Cities and Local Governments and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group , and is recognised by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy . A March 2014 debate in the British House of Lords acknowledged the evolution of town twinning into city diplomacy, particularly in matters of trade and tourism, but also in culture and post-conflict reconciliation. The importance of cities developing "their own foreign economic policies on trade, foreign investment, tourism and attracting foreign talent" has also been highlighted by

10476-697: The year-round population dwindles as the terrain becomes less accessible, there are few state or local government employees such as teachers. Local income comes from agriculture, semi-illegal forestry and tourism. In a few places like Theth tourism has been revitalized by recreational hiking. With the help of GTZ , 40 private houses (also referred to as guest houses, or han in Albanian) have been transformed into tourist accommodations or B&Bs. In 2010 there were 130 beds available in total – 100 more than in 2007. Additionally, hiking trails have been marked and trails maps and travel guides published. From 2006 to 2009,

10584-576: Was between Paderborn , Germany, and Le Mans , France, in 836. Starting in 1905, Keighley in West Yorkshire, England, had a twinning arrangement with French communities Suresnes and Puteaux . The first recorded modern twinning agreement was between Keighley and Poix-du-Nord in Nord, France, in 1920 following the end of the World War I . This was initially referred to as an adoption of

10692-574: Was controlled at the time and until 2020 by the military forces of Armenia and the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh . An attempt was made in 2003 by Preston city councillors in England to twin with the Palestinian town of Nablus in the name of solidarity. Turkey bans partnerships with any city in a country that recognizes the Armenian genocide . As a result, when Bulgaria recognized

10800-552: Was created in 2022, merging the former Theth National Park , Valbona Valley National Park and Gashi River Strict Nature Reserve, totaling a massive coverage area of 86,000 ha (330 sq mi). Theth National Park was designated in 1966 and covered area of 2,630 ha (10.2 sq mi) along the Thethi River. The main attraction in the park is the Grunas Waterfall. The Valbona Valley National Park

10908-606: Was designated in 1996 and covered 8,000 ha (31 sq mi), including the Valbona Valley and the Valbona River . The Montenegrin part of the mountain range was declared Prokletije National Park in 2009, comprising an area of 16,000 ha (62 sq mi). The Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park on the Kosovar side was established in 2012 with an area of 50,000 ha (190 sq mi), covering

11016-429: Was discovered in the Albanian part of the range in 2009. The origin of the name "Accursed Mountains" is disputed. According to one local legend, the devil escaped from hell and created the jagged glacial karsts in a single day of mischief. Others say a woman cursed the mountains while she and her children trekked through them on a scorching-hot day and could not find any water. A third legend claims Slavic soldiers gave

11124-580: Was originally a program of the National League of Cities , but it became a separate corporation in 1967 due to the growth and popularity of the program. Twin town cultural events include the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., honoring Washington's twin relationship with Tokyo City . Many twinned towns developed business agreements with their partners. For example, Vermont 's Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company opened

11232-621: Was raised for the first time in possibly over 400 years in the Battle of Deçiq (6 April 1911) in the Albanian revolt of 1911 in the Deçiq mountain near Tuzi. It was raised by Ded Gjo Luli on the peak of Bratila after victory was secured. The phrase "Tash o vllazën do t’ju takojë të shihni atë që për 450 vjet se ka pa kush" (Now brothers you have earned the right to see that which has been unseen for 450 years) has been attributed to Ded Gjo Luli by later memoirs of those who were present when he raised

11340-468: Was the first twinned city in Canada and the second in North America, while Denver, United States , twinned with Brest, France , was the second twinned city in the United States. Liberal, Kansas was twinned with Olney, United Kingdom in 1950, and the cities have run a joint Pancake Day race ever since. Littleton, Colorado, twinned with Bega, Australia, in 1961. Tashkent , the capital city of Uzbekistan,

11448-602: Was the son of Vučin which was the son of Mezid which's father was Gjergj. Similar patterns continue like this with Gjon and Stojan. Tuzi was the first municipality in Montenegro that was put into complete lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuzi's local football club is Dečić , who play in the Montenegrin First League . Their home venue is the Stadion Tuško Polje and their reserve team plays in

11556-458: Was twinned with Seattle , Washington, in 1973. Rochester, Minnesota , and Knebworth , UK, both centers for primary medical research, twinned in 1967. Ontario, California , has five sister cities around the world. They are Brockville, Ontario, Canada (since 1977); Guamúchil, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1988); and Winterthur, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Oakville, Ontario

11664-601: Was used to reconstruct the positions of former glaciers. The longest glacier of Ropojana had a length of 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) and a surface area of 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi); others include Valbona glacier at 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) and 10.5 square kilometres (4.1 sq mi), Grbaja Glacier at 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and 6.7 square kilometres (2.6 sq mi) and Bogićevića Glacier at 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) and6.9 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi). In addition, there are about 20 small lakes of glacial origin as described above, including

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