Korçë
Encyclopedia

Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District
Korçë District
The District of Korçë , is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania. According estimates, as of January 1, 2010, 138,898 people lived in the Korce District...

. It has a population of around 105,000 people (2009 census), making it the sixth largest city in Albania. It stands on a plateau some 850 m (2,789 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...

, surrounded by the Morava Mountains.

Name

Korçë is named differently in other languages: ; , Korcha or Горица, Goritsa (archaic form); , Koritsá; ; , Gorica; .

Antiquity

Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

 remains have been found indicating occupation of the site from 4000 BC onwards. The Copper Age
Copper Age
The Chalcolithic |stone]]") period or Copper Age, also known as the Eneolithic/Æneolithic , is a phase of the Bronze Age in which the addition of tin to copper to form bronze during smelting remained yet unknown by the metallurgists of the times...

 lasted from 3000 BC to 2100 BC. Mycenean pottery
Mycenaean pottery
Mycenaean pottery is the pottery, produced by Mycenaean potters and divided by archaeologists into a series of stylistic phases, which can be grouped into four major stages, which roughly correspond with cultural/historical stages.-Mycenaean Culture:...

 was introduced in the plain of Korçë during the late Bronze Age (Late Helladic IIIc
Helladic period
Helladic is a modern archaeological term meant to identify a sequence of periods characterizing the culture of mainland ancient Greece during the Bronze Age. The term is commonly used in archaeology and art history...

), and has been claimed that the tribes living in this region before the Dark Age migrations, probably spoke a northwestern Greek dialect. The area was on the border between Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....

 and Epirus
Epirus (ancient state)
Epirus was an ancient Greek state, located in the geographical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans. The homeland of the ancient Epirotes was bordered by the Aetolian League to the south, Thessalia and Macedonia to the east and Illyrian tribes to the north...

 and according to a historical reconstruction was ruled by an Illyrian
Illyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...

 dynasty until 650 BC, while after 650 BC a Chaonian
Chaonians
The Chaonians were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus located in the north-west of modern Greece and southern Albania. On their southern frontier lay another Epirote kingdom, that of the Molossians, to their southwest stood the kingdom of the Thesprotians, and to their...

 dynasty. During this period the area was inhabited by ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...

 tribes, possibly Chaonians or Molossians
Molossians
The Molossians were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus since the Mycenaean era. On their northeast frontier they had the Chaonians and to their southern frontier the kingdom of the Thesprotians, to their north were the Illyrians. The Molossians were part of the League of...

, which were two of the major three tribes inhabiting the region of Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...

. Archaeologists have found a gravestone of the 2nd or 3rd century AD depicting two Illyrian blacksmiths working iron on an anvil near modern Korçë.

Middle Ages and Ottoman Rule

A town named 'Coviza' is mentioned in medieval documents in 1280. The modern town dates from the end of the 15th Century, when Iljaz Hoxha
Iljaz Hoxha
Iljas Hoxha, also known as Iljas Bey Hoxha, was a leading Albanian Janissary, scientist, and personal teacher to Ottoman Empire's sultan Bayezid II...

, under the command of Sultan Mehmet II, developed Korçë. The Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 occupation began in 1440, and after Hoxha's role in the siege of Constantinople, in 1453; he was awarded the title, 'Iljaz Bey Mirahor'. Korçë was a sandjak of the Manastir
Bitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...

 vilayet in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 as Görice.
The city started to flourish when the nearby town of Moscopole
Moscopole
Moscopole was a cultural and commercial center of the Aromanians, and now a small municipality in Korçë District, modern southeastern Albania. At its peak, in the mid 18th century, it hosted the first printing press in the Balkans outside Istanbul, educational institutions and numerous churches...

 was raided by the Muslim Albanian troops of Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...

 at 1788.

Early 20th century

Ottoman rule over Korçë lasted until 1912; although the city and its surroundings were supposed to become part of the Principality of Bulgaria
Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria was a self-governing entity created as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The preliminary treaty of San Stefano between the Russian Empire and the Porte , on March 3, had originally proposed a significantly larger Bulgarian territory: its...

 according to the Treaty of San Stefano
Treaty of San Stefano
The Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano was a treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed at the end of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78...

 in 1878, the Treaty of Berlin of the same year returned the area to Ottoman rule. Korçë's proximity to Greece, which claimed the entire Orthodox population as Greek, led to its being fiercely contested in the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...

 of 1912-1913. Greek forces captured Korçë
Capture of Korytsa
The Capture of Korytsa or Korca by the Greek armed forces, happened at 20 December 1912, at the first Balkan War.-Capture:The Balkan Wars, a conflict between Balkan countries against the Ottoman Empire broke at July 1912...

 from the Ottomans in 6 December 1912 and afterwards proceeded to imprison the Albanian nationalists of the town. Its incorporation into Albania in 1913 was disputed by Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, who claimed it as part of a region called 'Northern Epirus
Northern Epirus
Northern Epirus is a term used to refer to those parts of the historical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans, that are part of the modern Albania. The term is used mostly by Greeks and is associated with the existence of a substantial ethnic Greek population in the region...

', and resulted in a rebellion by the local Greek population that asked the intervention of the Greek army. This rebellion was initially suppressed by the Dutch commanders of the Albanian gendarmerie, that consisted of 100 Albanians led by Themistokli Gërmenji
Themistokli Gërmenji
Themistokli Gërmenji was one of the activists of the Albanian National Awakening, the leader of the Albanian irregulars from 1909 to 1914, and the prefect of police of Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë from 1916 to 1917.- Biography :...

, as a result the local Greek-Orthodox bishop Germanos and other members of the town council were arrested and expelled by the Dutch. However, under the terms of the Protocol of Corfu
Protocol of Corfu
The Protocol of Corfu , signed on May 17, 1914, was an agreement between representatives of the Albanian Government and the Provisional Government of Northern Epirus, which officially recognized the area of Northern Epirus as an autonomous region within the Albanian state...

 (May 1914), the city became part of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
The Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was a short-lived, self-governing entity founded on February 28, 1914, in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars, by the Greeks living in southern Albania ....

 inside the borders of the principality of Albania
Principality of Albania
The Principality of Albania refers to the short-lived monarchy in Albania, headed by William, Prince of Albania and to the state after the First World War, until the abolition of the monarchy in 1925, when Albania was declared a republic.-Principality:The Principality was established on February...

, while in 10 July 1914 the Greek Northern Epirote forces took over the city.

In October 1914 the city came again under Greek administration. During the period of the National Schism (1916) a local revolt broke out and with military and local support Korçë came under the control of Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...

' Movement of National Defence
Movement of National Defence
The Movement of National Defence was an uprising by Venizelist officers of the Hellenic Army in Thessaloniki in August 1916 against the royal government in Athens. It led to the establishment of a separate, Venizelist Greek government in the north of the country, which entered the First World...

, overthrowing the royalist forces. However, due to developments in the Macedonian Front
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...

 of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 the city came soon under French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 control (1916–1920). During this time fourteen representatives of Korçë and Colonel Descoins signed a protocol that proclaimed the Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë ( under the military protection of the French army and with Themistokli Gërmenji as president. It ultimately remained part of Albania, as determined by the International Boundary Commission, which affirmed the country's 1913 borders.

During the inter-war period, the city became a hotbed of Communist agitation. Albania's future dictator, Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...

, lived there and was both a pupil and a teacher at the town's French school. Korçë's underground Communist movement became the nucleus of Hoxha's Albanian Party of Labour
Albanian Party of Labour
The Party of Labour of Albania was the sole legal political party in Albania during communist rule...

. During the 1930s, the Bank of Athens
Bank of Athens
The Bank of Athens was a bank in Athens, Greece. It was founded in 1893 and merged in 1999. It continued the name of an earlier but no longer operating Anglo-Greek bank that Michel Emmanuel Rodocanachi had established in the UK.-History:...

 had a branch in the city.

World War II

Italian
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...

 forces occupied Korçë in 1939, along with the rest of the country. After the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War
Greco-Italian War
The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece which lasted from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. It marked the beginning of the Balkans Campaign of World War II...

, the Greek Army entered the city in November 1940, which remained under Greek sovereignty until the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

 attack in April 1941. After Italy's withdrawal from the war in 1943, the Germans occupied the town until October 24, 1944.

During the occupation, the city became a major center of Communist-inspired resistance to the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...

 occupation of Albania. The establishment of the Albanian Party of Labour
Albanian Party of Labour
The Party of Labour of Albania was the sole legal political party in Albania during communist rule...

 – the Communist Party – was formally proclaimed in Korçë in 1941. Albanian rule was restored in 1944 following the withdrawal of German forces.

Socialist era

The area suffered from Hoxha's dictatorial regime like the rest of Albania, although it is arguable whether it was to as great an extent. Hoxha mainly fought against the rich, despite the fact that they had often fought against the Nazi and Fascist occupations. Right after World War II many people fled to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, USA, joining a community of the Albanian-Americans, who had previously emigrated there.

After 1990 Korçë was one of the six cities where the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party (Albania)
The New Democratic Party was a Centre-right, Conservative, political party in Albania. It was led by Genc Pollo....

 won all the constituencies. Popular revolts in February 1991 ended with the tearing down of Hoxha's statue.

Climate

Korçë has a transitional mediterranean climate (or continental mediterranean climate) with high temperature amplitudes. The hottest month is August (25 °C (77 °F)) while January (2 °C (36 °F)) is the coldest. The city receives around 650 millimetres (25.6 in) annual precipitation with summer minimum and winter maximum. The temperatures in Korçë generally remain cooler than the western part of Albania, due to the middle altitude of the plain in which it is situated, but it receives about 2300 hours of solar radiation per year, so its temperatures are higher than those in Northeastern Albania. Temperatures can still reach up to 40 °C (104 °F) or higher on occasions.

Religion

Korçë has been an important religious center for Orthodox Christians for centuries. It has a large Orthodox community and it is the seat of an Orthodox metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...

. There is also a large Sunni community in and around the city. Islam entered the city in the 15th century through Iljaz Hoxha
Iljaz Hoxha
Iljas Hoxha, also known as Iljas Bey Hoxha, was a leading Albanian Janissary, scientist, and personal teacher to Ottoman Empire's sultan Bayezid II...

, a famous Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...

 jannissary, who actively participated in the Fall of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...

. One of the oldest mosques was built in Albania by Iljaz Hoxha in 1484, the Ilias Mirahori Mosque. Also a Bektashi
Bektashi
Bektashi Order or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi order founded in the 13th century by the Persian saint Haji Bektash Veli. In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli the order was significantly influenced during its formative period by both the Hurufis as well as the...

 community is present in the city. The main center of the Bektashis of the area is the Turan Tekke
Zawiyya
The word zawiyya can refer to a sufi brotherhood or the shrine of a saint. Zawiyyas used to be very common in especially North Africa and Iran.-References:...

.

Museums

Korçë is called the city of museums. The National Museum of Medieval Art
National Museum of Medieval Art
National Museum of Medieval Art is a museum in Korçë, Albania. It was established on April 24, 1980. The museum has over 7,000 art and cultural items, mainly icons and less stone, wooden, metal and textile works representing various moments in Albania iconography development...

 of Albania, has a rich archives of ca. 6500 icons and 500 other objects in textile, stone and metal. The National Museum of Archeology is located in Korçë. The first Albanian School as well as the house of the painter Vangjush Mio
Vangjush Mio
Vangjush Mio was an Albanian impressionist painter. He was the brother of the Albanian film director and actor Socrat Mio.- Life and work :...

 and his gallery function as museums. Another museum in Korçë is the Bratko Museum
Bratko Museum
Bratko Museum is a museum in Korçë, Albania. It contains a collection of mostly Asian art....

 and the Oriental Museum.

Education

The first school, a Greek language school, in the city was established in 1724. This school was destroyed during the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...

 but it reopened at 1830. In 1857 a female Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 school was operating in the city. During the 19th century various local benefactors such as Ioannis Pangas
Ioannis Pangas
Ioannis Pangas or Bangas , was a Greek benefactor and merchant from Ottoman Korce, in modern Albania. His father Georgios Pangas was also a notable merchant and philanthropist....

 donated money for the promotion of Greek education and culture in Korçë. A special community fund, named the Lasson fund, was established in 1850 by the local Orthodox bishop Neophytos in order to support Greek cultural activity. The city also hosted a Romanian school at that time.

In the end of 19th century local Albanians expressed a growing need to be educated in their native language.
The first Albanian language school was established in 1887 by the Drita (Light) organization and funded by notable local individuals. Its first director was Pandeli Sotiri
Pandeli Sotiri
Pandeli Sotiri was an Albanian activist that acted as director of the first Albanian school of modern times in Korçë. Sotiri was one of the most important Rilindas figures that contributed in the propagation of the Albanian language. He also worked on one of the versions of the Albanian alphabet...

. Naim Frashëri
Naim Frashëri
Naim Frashëri was an Albanian poet and writer. He was one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian National Awakening of the 19th century, together with his two brothers Sami and Abdyl...

, the national poet of Albania played a great role in the opening of the school in 1887. As a high-ranking statesman in the ministry of education of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 he managed to get official permission for the school. The Ottoman authorities gave permission only for Christian children to be educated in Albanian, but the Albanians did not follow this restriction and allowed also Muslim children to attend. As a result the school was closed in 1902 by the Ottoman authorities.

The school was followed by Albania's first school for girls in 1891. The school, started by Gjerasim Qiriazi
Gjerasim Qiriazi
Gjerasim Qiriazi was an Albanian Protestant preacher and educator. He is the founder of the Protestant Church of Albania. He also founded the first Albanian school in modern times in 1887 in Korçë, Albania, then part of the Ottoman Empire....

 was later run by his sisters, Sevasti and Parashqevi Qiriazi
Parashqevi Qiriazi
Parashqevi Qiriazi was an Albanian teacher who dedicated her life to the Albanian alphabet and to the instruction of written Albanian language. She was a woman participant at the Congress of Monastir, which decided the form of the Albanian alphabet, and the founder of the Yll' i Mengjesit, a...

 together with Polikseni Luarasi (Dhespoti). Later collaborators were the Rev. & Mrs. Grigor Çilka and Rev & Mrs. Phineas Kennedy of the Congregational Misson Board of Boston.

When the city was under French administration in 1916 (the Republic of Korçë), Greek schools were closed and 200 Albanian and French language schools were opened. A few months later Greek schools were reopened as a reward and result of Greece's adhesion to the Entente
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...

 alliance, part of which was France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, although the decision to reopen them was in contradiction with the wishes of the population. Particularly relevant was the opening in 1917 of the Albanian National Lyceum
Albanian National Lyceum
The Albanian National Lyceum was a high school in the city of Korçë, Albania, fully financed by the Albanian government, but that emphasized the French culture and the European values. The school fully functioned in the years 1917-1939...

.

The city is home to Fan Noli University
Fan Noli University
The Fan Noli University is a university of studies based in Korçë, Albania. It is composed of the following schools:*Agricultural school *Teaching school *Business school *Nursing school...

, founded in 1971, which offers several degrees in humanities, business, and sciences. The University includes a school in Agriculture, Teaching, Business, Nursing, and Tourism.

In April 2005 the first bilingual Greek-Albanian school opened in Korçë after 60 years of prohibition of Greek education in the city. In addition, a total of 12 Greek language institutes are functioning in the city.

Economy

During the 20th century, Korçë gained a substantial industrial capacity in addition to its historic role as a commercial and agricultural centre. The plateau on which the city stands is highly fertile and is one of Albania's main wheat-growing areas. Local industries include the manufacture of knitwear, rugs, textiles, flour-milling, brewing, and sugar-refining. Deposits of lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...

 coal are mined in the mountains nearby such as Mborje
Mborje
Mborje is a settlement in the Korçë District, southeastern Albania. It is a southeastern suburb of Korçë.It is said that thousands of years ago, when the field of Korce was covered by water, , Mborje was the center of the civilization...

-Drenovë
Drenovë
Drenovë is a municipality in the Korçë District, Korçë County, southeastern Albania. The municipality consists of the villages Drenovë, Mborje, Boboshticë, Moravë, Qatrom, Ravonik, Turan and Dardhë.-History:...

. The city is home to the nationally famous Birra Korça
Birra Korça
Birra Korça is a brewing company, founded in Korçë, Albania, in 1928. The company is a subsidiary of IHB group since 2004. It is the second largest beer producer in Albania.-History:...

.

Sport

  • The football (soccer)
    Football (soccer)
    Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

     club is KS Skënderbeu Korçë
    KS Skënderbeu Korçë
    K.F. Skënderbeu Korçë is a football club based in Korçë, a city in southeastern Albania . They play in the Albanian Superliga, which is the top tier in the country and are currently reigning champions. The club is named after Albania's greatest hero of all time, Skanderbeg...

    , Albanian Champions in 1933 and recently, in 2011.

Panorama

Notable people from Korçë

In alphabetical order by last name:
  • Thoma Abrami
    Thoma Abrami
    Thoma Abrami also known as Thoma Avrami, was an Albanian poet, journalist and activist of the Albanian National Awakening. During his life he published many distinguished Albanian newspapers and magazines of the era like Përlindja Shqiptare, Besa and Vetëtima.- Life :Thoma Abrami was born in...

    , poet and activist of the Albanian National Awakening
  • Servet Tefik Agai soccer player, leading goalscorer of the fourth Championship of the Albanian Superliga.
  • Anthony Athanas, multi-millionaire restauranteur and philanthropist.
  • Anastas Avramidhi-Lakçe
    Anastas Avramidhi-Lakçe
    Anastas Avramidhi-Lakçe or Anastas Avram-Lakçe was an Albanian businessman and benefactor. Avramidhi was born in Korçë, modern southern Albania, then part of the Ottoman Empire...

     (1821–1890) businessman and benefactor.
  • Dhimitër Berati
    Dhimitër Berati
    Dhimitër Berati was an Albanian politician and journalist. One of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence Berati served as secretary of the Albanian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.-References:...

    , signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
    Albanian Declaration of Independence
    The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...

    .
  • Pandeli Cale
    Pandeli Cale
    Pandeli Cale was one of the signatories of Albanian Declaration of Independence, who subsequently served as Minister of Agriculture in the Provisional Government of Albania...

    , rilindas and signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
    Albanian Declaration of Independence
    The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...

  • Kristo Dako
    Kristo Dako
    Kristo Dako was an Albanian patriot and teacher of the early 20th century.Born in Korçë in 1876 Dako later migrated to Bucarest, Romania, where he finished high school and later the Faculty of Mathematics. He then emigrated again, this time to the United States and pursued there a degree in...

    , minister of education and political activist
  • Visar Dodani
    Visar Dodani
    Visar Dodani was an Albanian journalist and activist of the Albanian National Awakening.- Life :Visar Dodani was born in Korçë, southern Albania in 1857. In 1880 he moved to Bucharest, Romania, where he joined the Albanian association Drita , major organization of the Albanian National Awakening...

    , journalist and activist of the Albanian National Awakening.
  • Pandeli Evangjeli
    Pandeli Evangjeli
    Pandeli Evangjeli was an Albanian politician and Prime Minister of Albania twice. He was the first Orthodox Christian to become chief of the Albanian government....

    , twice Prime Minister of Albania
  • Pavlina Evro
    Pavlina Evro
    Pavlina Evro is a retired Albanian mid-distance and long-distance runner athlete.Born in Korçë, Albania she specialized in the mid-distances of 800m and 1500m. She is the most famous Albanian athlete for her extraordinary results...

    , mid-distance runner, winner of the in the 1500 meter race at the "Grand Prix" International Athletic Meeting in Nice
    Nice
    Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

     (France)
  • Eli Fara
    Eli Fara
    Eli Fara, Merited Artist of Albania is an Albanian folk music singer with a widespread following among the Albanian-speaking people all over the world. Fara is from Korçë and is one of the greatest 'serenata' singers....

    , singer.
  • Thanas Floqi
    Thanas Floqi
    Thanas Floqi was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.- Sources :*"History of Albanian People" Albanian Academy of Science.ISBN 9992716231...

    , rilindas and signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
    Albanian Declaration of Independence
    The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...

  • Llazar Fundo
    Llazar Fundo
    Llazar Fundo was an Albanian Communist, later social-democratic journalist and writer. He was a former member of the Comintern and the Balkan Communist Federation. He was associated with the Fan S...

    , member of the Albanian Communist Party during WWII.
  • Pandi Gëllçi
    Pandi Gëllçi
    Pandi Gëllçi is a notable Albanian volleyball coach of the women team of Skenderbeu. His team was the only rival of Dinamo Tirana team in the 1980s, when Dinamo oftentimes reached the European final four of the Women's CEV Champions League.-References:...

    , notable volleyball coach of Skenderbeu volleyball team.
  • Mihal Grameno
    Mihal Grameno
    Mihal Grameno was an Albanian rilindas, politician, writer, freedom fighter, and journalist.-Biography:Born in Korçë in a merchant family, he studied there at the local secondary school before emigrating to Romania in 1885...

    , rilindas, freedom fighter along Çerçiz Topulli
    Çerçiz Topulli
    Çerçiz Topulli was an Albanian Renaissance armed fighter, writer, and patriot, and is a People's Hero of Albania. He was the younger brother of Bajo Topulli....

    , journalist, and writer.
  • Spiro Ilo
    Spiro Ilo
    Spiridon Ilo was one of the founding father of Albania as a signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.Ilo was born in Korçë in 1876 and worked as a teacher in the Girls' school. He emigrated in Bucharest where he was part of the Albanian colony. In December 1909 in the drama “Besa”...

    , signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
    Albanian Declaration of Independence
    The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...

  • Idhomene Kosturi, former Prime Minister of Albania
  • Kostaq Kota, politician
  • Panteleimon Kotokos
    Panteleimon Kotokos
    Panteleimon Kotokos was the Greek Orthodox bishop of Gjirokastër and a member of the exiled Northern Epirus lobby after the end of World War II....

     (1890–1969), Greek Orthodox bishop of Gjirokastër
    Gjirokastër
    Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County...

     (1937–1941).
  • Koçi Bey
    Koçi Bey
    Koçi Bey was a high-ranking Ottoman bureaucrat who lived in the first half of the 17th century.He was an ethnic Albanian, born in Korçë in eastern Albania. Within the scope of the devshirme system, he studied in the Enderun in Istanbul...

     17th century high-ranking Ottoman
    Ottoman Empire
    The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

     bureaucrat
  • Ermal Kuqo
    Ermal Kuqo
    Ermal Kuqo is the most successful Albanian basketball player of all times. He currently plays for the Turkish side Anadolu Efes...

    , basketball player, member of the Albanian national basketball team.
  • Savva Lika
    Savva Lika
    Savva Lika is a javelin thrower representing Greece. She was born in Korçë, Albania, and represented Albania prior to 2002. She had migrated to Greece by foot in 1997....

    , javelin thrower.
  • Sabien Lilaj, Albanian footballer
  • Devis Mema
    Devis Mema
    Devis Mema is an Albanian footballer. The striker currently plays for KS Flamurtari Vlorë in the Albanian Superliga.-Career:...

    , Albanian footballer, capped with Albania U-21
    Albania national under-21 football team
    The Albania national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...

  • Jani Melka Albania National Team volleyball player, also known in Greece, where he plays with Aris Thessaloniki, as Giannis Melkas
  • Gjon Mili
    Gjon Mili
    Gjon Mili was an Albanian-American photographer best known for his work published in Life.-Biography:Born to Vasil Mili and Viktori Cekani in Korçë, Albania, Mili came to the United States in 1923. In 1939, Mili landed a job as a freelance photographer for Life...

    , fotographer
  • Vangjush Mio
    Vangjush Mio
    Vangjush Mio was an Albanian impressionist painter. He was the brother of the Albanian film director and actor Socrat Mio.- Life and work :...

    , painter.
  • Thimi Mitko
    Thimi Mitko
    Thimi Mitko was an Albanian rilindas and folklorist.Mitko was born in Korçë, Albania , where he attended the local Greek school. His uncle, Peti Mitko, had been one of the leaders of the Albanian Revolt of 1847 in Korçë and Tepelenë against the Turkish Tanzimat legislation...

    , nationalist and folklorist.
  • Dhimitër Orgocka
    Dhimitër Orgocka
    Dhimiter Orgocka is an Albanian movie and theater actor and director, and People's Artist of Albania for his artistical merits.-Personal life:...

     actor and screenplayer, People's Artist of Albania
    People's Artist of Albania
    People's Artist of Albania was an honorary title for the decoration of outstanding art performers of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, whose merits were exceptional in the sphere of development of the performing arts . It was created by law in 1960 and amended in 1980. The title was no longer...

  • Thoma Orollogaj
    Thoma Orollogaj
    Thoma Orollogaj was an Albanian jurist, politician and resistance fighter of World War II.- Life :Born in 1888 in Korçë, Ottoman Empire he studied law in Athens and Paris. After finishing his studies he returned to Korçë, where he worked as a lawyer and supported Kostaq Kota's efforts for...

    , minister of justice of Albania and Balli Kombëtar
    Balli Kombëtar
    Balli Kombëtar was an Albanian nationalist, anti-communist and anti-monarchy organization established in October 1939. It was led by Ali Këlcyra and Mit’hat Frashëri...

     leader.

  • Tefik Osmani
    Tefik Osmani
    Tefik Osmani is an Albanian football defender. Currently he is with KS Teuta but he has previously played for the Ukrainian clubs Vorskla Poltava and Metalurg Zaporozhye. He has also been called up for the Albanian national team.-KF Tirana:...

    , football soccer player, capped with the Albania
    Albania national football team
    The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...

  • Ioannis Pangas
    Ioannis Pangas
    Ioannis Pangas or Bangas , was a Greek benefactor and merchant from Ottoman Korce, in modern Albania. His father Georgios Pangas was also a notable merchant and philanthropist....

     (1814–1895), Greek
    Greeks
    The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

     entrepreneur and benefactor.
  • Pilo Peristeri, former member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania
    Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania
    The Politburo was the leading organ of the Party of Labour of Albania. The following is the composition of the Politburo that would be formed after every Congress of the Party. The politburo for the 1941-1948 period is not included....

     and former Minister in the Albanian Government
  • Alma Qeramixhi
    Alma Qeramixhi
    Alma Qeramixhi is an Albanian heptathlete who represented her country in the 1992 Summer Olympics. She competed in the women's heptathlon, but did not finish....

    , 1992 Olympic Games participant, heptathlete and 100 hurdles record keeper for Albania.
  • Leonidas Sabanis, weightlifter Olympic Games Silver Medal winner for Greece
    Greece
    Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

  • Aristotel Samsuri, soccer player, leading goalscorer of the second Championship of the Albanian Superliga.
  • Llazi Sërbo
    Llazi Sërbo
    Llazi Sërbo was an Albanian movie and theater actor and later director. His forty years long activity included around 100 roles...

    , film and stage actor.
  • Behar Shtylla
    Behar Shtylla
    Behar Shtylla was an Albanian diplomat and three times Foreign Minister of Albania for an overall 17 years period Behar Shtylla (1918–1994) was an Albanian diplomat and three times Foreign Minister of Albania for an overall 17 years period Behar Shtylla (1918–1994) was an Albanian...

    , diplomat and Foreign Minister of Albania from 1953 to 1970
  • Konstantinos Skenderis
    Konstantinos Skenderis
    Konstantinos Skenderis was a Greek journalist and author. He was born in Korça, modern southeast Albania, when the city was under Ottoman rule. From 1910 he published the newspaper named O Pelasgos...

    , Greek
    Greeks
    The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

     author and politician.
  • Stavro Skëndi
    Stavro Skendi
    Stavro Skëndi was an Albanian American linguist and historian.- Career :Skëndi studied at Robert College in Istanbul, graduating in 1928. He continued his studies at the University of Geneva and returned to Albania, where he taught in Commerce schools. During World War II he fought on the side of...

    , historian and linguist
  • Misto Treska
    Misto Treska
    Misto Treska is a personality of Albanian letters, an intellectual and patriot with a broad culture, who made authors of masterpieces like Hugo, Maupassant, Stendhal and Diderot speak Albanian...

    , diplomat, translator and writer
  • Kristi Vangjeli
    Kristi Vangjeli
    Kristi Vangjeli is an Albanian football defender, currently playing for FC Chornomorets Odessa in the Ukrainian Premier League and the Albanian national team. Prior to Chornomorets, Vangjeli played for Aris Thessaloniki FC in the Greek Super League...

     football soccer player, capped with the Albania
    Albania national football team
    The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...

  • Dhimitër Zografi
    Dhimitër Zografi
    Dhimitër Zografi was one of the signatories of Albanian Declaration of Independence.Zografi was born in Korçë in 1878. At the end of the 19th century he emigrated to Romania. In 1906 he participated in founding the patriotic association of the Albanians from Bucharest “Bashkimi-Unirea”. He was one...

    , signatory of Albanian Declaration of Independence
    Albanian Declaration of Independence
    The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...



Twin towns — Sister cities

Korçë is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with:
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...

, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...

, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

 Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....

, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 Los Alcázares
Los Alcázares
Los Alcázares - pronounced Los Al-Katha-Res is a small, but expanding coastal spa town and former fishing village on the Western side of the Mar Menor in the autonomous community and province of Murcia, southeastern Spain....

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...


See also

  • Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë
    Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë
    The Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë was an autonomous state established in 1916, by the local French forces, after the city of Korçë fell under their control, during World War I and lasted till 1920....

  • Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
    Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
    The Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was a short-lived, self-governing entity founded on February 28, 1914, in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars, by the Greeks living in southern Albania ....

  • Greeks in Albania
  • Tourism in Albania
    Tourism in Albania
    Tourism in Albania is characterized by the archaeological heritage inherited from Greek, Roman and Ottoman times, unspoiled beaches, challenging mountain ranges, Cold War artifacts, unique traditions, unequivocal hospitality, delicious traditional cuisine, and the wild and peculiar atmosphere of...

  • Kamenica Tumulus
    Kamenica Tumulus
    The Kamenica Tumulus is an important archaeological site in Kamenicë, Korçë District, Albania. The site includes a museum dedicated to the prehistory of Albania and of the surrounding region.-History of the Tumulus Excavation:...

  • Moscopole
    Moscopole
    Moscopole was a cultural and commercial center of the Aromanians, and now a small municipality in Korçë District, modern southeastern Albania. At its peak, in the mid 18th century, it hosted the first printing press in the Balkans outside Istanbul, educational institutions and numerous churches...

  • Dardhë
    Dardhë
    Dardhë is a community in the municipality of Drenovë in the Korçë District, Korçë County, Albania.A Greek school was operating in the village from 1810.-Notable people:*Sotir Peçi, mathematician, former Minister of Education and publisher....

  • Liqenas
    Liqenas
    Komuna Liqenas is a municipality in the Korçë District of Albania. It has a population of c.4300 and consists of nine villages, comprising the areas along the Albanian, south-western shore of the Greater Prespa lake...

  • Albanian diaspora
    Albanian diaspora
    The Albanian diaspora encompasses Albanians outside of Albania and Kosovo.The greatest concentrations are found in Turkey, Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece and Italy...

  • Music of Albania
    Music of Albania
    Albanian music displays a variety of influences. Albanian folk music traditions differ by region, with major stylistic differences between the traditional music of the Ghegs in the north and Tosks in the south. Modern popular music has developed around the centers of Korça, Shkodër and Tirana....

  • List of castles in Albania
  • Devoll District
    Devoll District
    The District of Devoll is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Korçë County and derives its name from the Devoll river flowing through the valley. It has a population of 33,785, and an area of 429 km². It is in the southeastern corner of the country, and its capital is Bilisht...

  • Northern Epirus
    Northern Epirus
    Northern Epirus is a term used to refer to those parts of the historical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans, that are part of the modern Albania. The term is used mostly by Greeks and is associated with the existence of a substantial ethnic Greek population in the region...


Sources

  • Municipality of Korçë
  • N.G.L Hammond, Alexander's Campaign in Illyria, The Journal of Hellenic Studies, pp 4–25. 1974
  • James Pettifer, Albania & Kosovo, A & C Black, London (2001, ISBN 0713650168)
  • François Pouqueville, Voyage en Morée, à Constantinople, an Albanie, et dans plusieurs autres parties de l'Empire othoman, pendant les années 1798, 1799, 1800 et 1801. (1805)
  • T.J. Winnifrith Badlands-Borderlands A History of Northern Epirus/Southern Albania (2003)

External links




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