Shniku
mountain in Albania
Shniku (lit. 'St. Nicholas'), also known as Maja e Madhe or Maja e Shnikut, is a summit in the Accursed Mountains of northern Albania. Rising to 2,552 m (8,373 ft) above sea level, it is one of the prominent peaks of the Albanian Alps and forms part of a massive limestone structure in the interior section of the range.
Geology
Shniku is situated east of the village of Nikç in the municipality of Kelmend, near the karst depression known as Ujkcarë–Koprisht. From its summit, the peak offers wide panoramic views in all directions, overlooking several valleys and mountain basins, including Nikç, Lepushë, Koprisht and Vizhne.
Composed primarily of Mesozoic limestone with minor dolomite formations, the summit belongs to one of the highest tectonic units of the Albanian Alps. Its elevation and rugged relief are the result of Neogene uplift followed by prolonged erosion and structural dissection.
The western slopes are particularly steep and affected by large-scale gravitational rock movements, while the eastern slopes descend more gradually.
Climbing route
The ascent to Maja e Shnikut can be approached by two principal routes. One trail passes through the caves of Harapit and continues toward Vizhne valley before connecting with the path that descends toward Nikç.
The public source identifies “Shniku” as mountain in Albania. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Shniku, mountain and Albania.
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The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6737385. Authority coordinates are 42.473, 19.737. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Shniku” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.