Korçë

---

title: "Korçë" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["korçë", "cities-in-albania", "administrative-units-of-korçë", "municipalities-in-korçë-county"] description: "Eighth largest city of Albania" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korçë" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Eighth largest city of Albania ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Albanian settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Korçë
other name	Korça
type	m
flag	Flag of Korçë.gif
emblem	Stema e Bashkisë Korçë.svg
image_skyline	{{multiple image
border	infobox
total_width	270
image_style	border:1;
perrow	1/2/2
image1	Korça_02.jpg
image2	House 'Çeva' 02.jpg
image3	Pazari i vjeter Korce.jpg
image4	Korca Old Bazaar.jpg
image5	House 'Lubonja' 02.jpg
image6	Very_detailed_view_of_Korca.png}}
image_caption	Top to bottom, left to right: View over Korçë and the Resurrection Cathedral, House Çeva, Old Bazaar by night, Traditional architecture around the Old Bazaar and House Lubonja
county	Korçë
settled	15th century AD
party	PS
mayor	Sotiraq Filo
coordinates
elevation	850
area munic	806
population as of	2023
area_unit	6.62
population unit	43254
demonym
postal code	7000
area code	(0)82
website
::

| name = Korçë | other name = Korça | type = m | flag = Flag of Korçë.gif | emblem = Stema e Bashkisë Korçë.svg | image_skyline = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 270 | image_style = border:1; | perrow = 1/2/2 | image1 = Korça_02.jpg | image2 = House 'Çeva' 02.jpg | image3 = Pazari i vjeter Korce.jpg | image4 = Korca Old Bazaar.jpg | image5 = House 'Lubonja' 02.jpg | image6 = Very_detailed_view_of_Korca.png}} | image_caption = Top to bottom, left to right: View over Korçë and the Resurrection Cathedral, House Çeva, Old Bazaar by night, Traditional architecture around the Old Bazaar and House Lubonja | map = | location = | county = Korçë | parts = | settled = 15th century AD | incorporated = | dissolved = | party = PS | mayor = Sotiraq Filo | council chairman = | administrator = | coordinates = | elevation = 850 | area munic = 806 | area rank = | population as of = 2023 |area_unit=6.62| population munic = 60754 | population unit = 43254 | population rank = | demonym = | postal code = 7000 | area code = (0)82 | website = Korçë (; Korça) is the eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipality (2011 census), in a total area of 806 km2. It stands on a plateau some 850 m above sea level, surrounded by the Morava Mountains.

The area of the Old Bazaar, including Mirahori Mosque, is considered as the urban core of the city. Founded by the local Ottoman Albanian nobleman Ilias Bey Mirahori, the urban area of Korçë dates back to the late 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, however its actual physiognomy was realized in the 19th century, during a period that corresponds with the rapid growth and development of the city. The Old Bazaar has played a dominant role in Albania's market history. Korçë is the largest city of eastern Albania and an important cultural and industrial centre.

Name

Korçë is named differently in other languages: , Curceauã, Curceau or Curciau; Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian: Горица, Goritsa; , Korytsa; ; or Corița; . The current name is of Slavic origin. The word "gorica" means "hill" in South Slavic languages, and is a very common toponym in Albania and Slavic countries (e.g. Podgorica in Montenegro, Gorizia, Dolna Gorica in the Pustec municipality, and so on). It is diminutive of the Slavic toponym "gora", meaning mountain, which is also found in placenames throughout Slavic countries as well as non-Slavic countries like Albania, Greece, Italy and Kosovo.

History

15th century

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Xhamia_e_Iljaz_Bej_Mirahorit,_Korce.jpg" caption="p=162}}"] ::

Korçë's foundation is closely related with the actions of Ilias Bey Mirahori, a Muslim Albanian convert born in the village of Panarit in the Korçë area, who acquired large properties in the location of present-day Korçë. Ilias Bey was the 'Master of the Stables' of Sultan Bayezid II, and the first equerry and conqueror of Psamathia in the Ottoman capture of Constantinople. In 1484 Ilias Bey received, as a reward from the Sultan, seven villages located in the Korçë area: Leshnjë, Vithkuq, Peshkëpi, Boboshticë, Panarit, Treska, and Trebicka. This accord was finalized gradually through four firmans. In the first firman Leshnjë and Vithkuq were accorded to Ilias Bey as mülk (land tenure). However he met difficulties while collecting the incomes and after twelve years these villages turned into their earlier status of timars, being substituted through a second firman in the year 1497 by the locality Piskopiye, which included two sections. In the third firman (1497) the boundaries of Piskopiye were defined, establishing its demarcation between Mborje, Barç and Bulgarec, a site area corresponding to the territory of today's Korçë city. As a product of this process, the town of Korçë dates from the end of the 15th century.

The name Gorica corresponded to an older fortified settlement, and was later attached to Piskopiye, which was a separate community, and as suggested by its name, a bishop's residence. Ilias Bey founded his works of charity in Piskopiye, building a mosque, an imaret and a muallim-hane and a hammam. Built between 1484 and 1495, the mosque, named after him, represents one of the most important examples of Islamic architecture of Albania and its second oldest mosque after the Sultan's Mosque of Berat. The name Episkopi in Greek signifies a sacred place for the Orthodox faith, however, it is not certain if it was a coincidence or an intended strategy to build a mosque on the site of an older Orthodox church or monastery. With the establishment of the religious, educational and charitable institutions in the area, Ilias Bey must have planned to make the village a local Islamic centre and to raise it to the rank of kasaba ("town"), through the registration of its inhabitants as citizens instead of farmers. Being subjected to the Kaza of Korça, the villages of Episkopi, Boboshtica, Leshnjë and Vithkuq were used in 1505 as sources of income on behalf of the five institutions of Ilias Bey's vakfa. The vakfa he founded also served the purpose of organizing the settlement of Muslim inhabitants in an area that was recently abandoned by the original Christian inhabitants.

The new town must have been dominated initially by the old castle of Mborje. Throughout the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century the castle was maintained by the Ottomans. The Tapu Defter of 1519 records a cemaat of Christian müsellems in the castle. According to this document the village of Mborje (Emboryo), which depended on Korçë (Görice), numbered 88 households of Christians and 18 households of Muslims.

Korça was divided into two great neighborhoods: Varosh and Kasaba. In the 16th century Muslims constituted the 21% of the population of the town and inhabited Kasaba, which was subdivided into the smaller neighborhoods of Çarshi, Ratak, Qoshk and Dere, including the institutions established by Ilias Bey. The Christian population inhabited Varosh, which was subdivided in Varosh i Sipërm (Upper Varosh) and Varosh i Poshtëm (Lower Varosh). Varosh i Sipërm was further subdivided into the smaller neighborhoods of Mano, Barç, Jeni-Mahallë, Qiro, Penço, Manço, Manto and Kala, while Varosh i Poshtëm consisted only of Katavarosh, which was known also as "Lagja e Shën Mërisë", named after the Church that was located there.

Görice was incorporated as a sandjak in the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire.

18th century

When the nearby town of İskopol (Moscopole or Moschopolis or Voskopojë) was destroyed by Ali Pasha's men in 1789, some of its commerce shifted to Görice (Korçë) and Arnavud Belgrad (Berat). Korçë grew as part of its population came from nearby Moscopole.

According to French diplomat François Pouqueville there were 1,300 families living in the city in 1805 with two thirds of them being Christian. Greek was the language of the elite and the majority of the Aromanian population engaged in commerce, crafts and international trade becoming one of the wealthiest communities in Epirus and Macedonia.

Korçë's cultural isolation was reduced due to Greek schools, the first one being founded in the city at 1724. During the late Ottoman era, Orthodox Albanians involved in the Albanian National Awakening came mainly from Korçë and its surrounding areas. On the other hand, the city council of Korçë, known as demogerontia (), and the metropolitan bishop of the city who identified as Greeks sent a secret memorandum to the foreign office department of Greece suggesting various ways to tackle activities by Albanian nationalists. In 1885, Jovan Cico Kosturi became the founder of a committee called the Albanian Cultural Society, along with co-founders Thimi Marko and Orhan Pojani, but the formation of the organization was suppressed by both the Ottoman and Orthodox Church authorities, so it went underground and carried on its activities as the Secret Committee of Korça (), and two years later, in March 1887, with the help of the Frashëri brothers, the Secret Committee set up the first Albanian school.

In the late Ottoman period, inhabitants from Korçë and surrounding areas emigrated abroad for economic opportunities, often by the Orthodox community who mainly as qualified craftsmen went to Romania, Greece and Bulgaria while Muslims went to Istanbul performing mainly menial labour work. Late nineteenth century Albanian migration to the United States consisted mainly of Orthodox Albanians from Korçë and surrounding areas who went to work there, save money and intending to eventually return home.

Rilindja

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Mesonjetorja1899.jpg" caption="Students in front of the first officially recognized Albanian school in modern Albania, in 1899"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Mëspnjëtorja_e_pare_shqipe,_Korçë.jpg" caption="The building of former Albanian school that now serves as a museum"] ::

At beginning of the 18th century the inhabitants of Korçë attended the schools of nearby Moscopole. This school was destroyed during the Greek War of Independence but it reopened in 1830. In 1857 a Greek school for girls was operating in the city. During the 19th century various local benefactors such as Ioannis Pangas and Anastas Avramidhi-Lakçe donated money for the promotion of Greek education and culture in Korçë, such as the Bangas Gymnasium.{{cite journal | last1 = Ismyrliadou | first1 = Adela | last2 = Karathanasis | first2 = Athanasios | year = 1999| title = Koritsa: Education-Benefactors-Economy 1850–1908| journal = Balkan Studies | volume = 1 | issue = 40 | pages = 224–228 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=6VVpAAAAMAAJ&q=Lasso%2Bkoritsa | quote =Among them benefactors Ioanis Bangas (1814–1895) and Anastasios Avramidis Liaktsis have a definite place...", "General Rules for Public Institutions in the town of Koritsa were drawn up and changed for the better the functioning of the educational estamblishments. }} Greek education was also financed by members of the diaspora in Egypt. in order to support Greek cultural activity in Korçë. At the eve of the Balkan Wars (1912) the total number of students attending Greek education in the city numbered 2,115.

Around 1850, Naum Veqilharxhi created an Albanian alphabet in which a few small books were published and the script briefly flourished in Korçë. The Albanian intellectual diaspora from Istanbul and Bucharest initially tried to avoid antagonism towards the notables of Korçë, who were in favor of Greek culture. Thus they suggested the introduction of Albanian language in the existing Greek Orthodox schools, a proposal which was discussed with the local bishop and the city council, the demogeronteia, and finally rejected by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In the late 1870s the Albanian Committee of Patriots devised a Latin-based Albanian script which was also adopted by British and U.S. Protestant missionaries {{multiple image | align = right | total_width = 240 | image1 = Korytsa Greek Urban School 1897.JPG | width1 = 200 | image2 = Bangas_Gymnasium.JPG | width2 = 200 | footer = Students and teachers of the Greek Urban School, 1897 (left) and Bangas Gymnasium, early 20th century of the several institutions sponsored by the community Lasso fund (right)

The Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights founded in the late 1870s promoting Albanian cultural development set up an Albanian secondary school for boys. Naim Frashëri, the national poet of Albania played a great role in the opening of the school. In the late 1880s Gjerasim Qiriazi began his Protestant mission in the city. He and fellow members of the Qiriazi family established Albanian speaking institutions in Korçë, with his sister Sevasti Qiriazi founding the first Albanian girls school in 1891.

When the city was under French administration in 1916 (the Republic of Korçë), Greek schools were closed and 200 Albanian schools were opened. In the city of Korçë itself, four primary schools opened, and one secondary school opened and functioned quite successfully. A plebiscite was held and voters indicated that they wanted the Albanian schools to stay open. However, a few months later Greek schools were reopened as a reward and result of Greece's adherence to the Entente alliance along with France. Particularly relevant was the opening in 1917 of the Albanian National Lyceum.

1878–1914

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Korca_Old_Bazaar.jpg" caption="The [[Old Bazaar of Korçë]] was mostly rebuilt in 1879."] ::

The rule of the Ottoman Empire over Korçë lasted until 1912 when Albania declared its independence. The city and its surroundings were supposed to become part of the Principality of Bulgaria, according to the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878, while the Treaty of Berlin of the same year returned the area to Ottoman rule. In 1910, the Church Alliance of local Orthodox Albanians led to the proclamation of an Albanian church by Mihal Grameno, but this effort was too isolated to affect the population. The armed Albanian bands, or çeta groups, of Sali Butka, Spiro Bellkameni and Kajo Babjeni briefly liberated Korçë from the Ottomans in August 1912.

Korçë's proximity to Greece, which claimed the entire Orthodox population as Greek, led to its being fiercely contested in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. Greek forces captured Korçë from the Ottomans on 6 December 1912 and afterwards proceeded to imprison the Albanian nationalists of the town.

Its incorporation into Albania in 1913 was disputed by Greece, who claimed it as part of the region called Northern Epirus, and resulted in a rebellion by the Greek population residing in the region of Korçë, who 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 the Orthodox Albanian nationalist Themistokli Gërmenji, and as a result the local Greek-Orthodox bishop Germanos and other members of the town council were arrested and expelled by the Dutch.

| align = left | total_width =230 | image1 = Flag of Koritsa.svg | width1 = 250 |height1 = | image2 = Korytsa.Postage.Stamp.1914.Northern.Epirus.png | width2 = 220 |height2 = | footer = Flag of the Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë from 1916 to 1920 (left). Flag of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus on a postage stamp issued in Korçë at 1914 (right).}}

Under the terms of the Protocol of Corfu (May 1914), the city became part of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus inside the borders of the principality of Albania, but on 10 July 1914 the Greek Northern Epirote forces took over the city. Under Greek occupation, for the purpose of convincing the Congress of London of Greek expansionist claims, the Greek authorities took a census, which counted 15,453 inhabitants in the city, of which 11,453 were designated as "Greeks" and the rest 4,000 as "Albanians", however, the census did not inquire about ethnicity, but rather instead explicitly had all Christians renamed "Greeks" and all Muslims changed to "Albanians", by religious criteria alone.

At the time, even ethnographers sympathetic to the Greek claims considered the city Albanian. Since the passes over the Pindus mountain range were much difficult, the Greeks wished to retain this city after the 1914 occupation of parts of southern Albania because only Korçë granted the successful maintenance of communications by land between the territories of Epirus and Macedonia that were acquired by Greece in 1913.

20th century

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Koritza_1917_tirailleurs_indochinois_05346.jpg" caption="Tonkinese (Vietnamese) Tirailleurs]] in Korçë, January 1917 during [[World War I"] ::

In October 1914 the city came again under Greek administration. During the period of the National Schism (1916) in Greece, a local revolt broke out, and with military and local support Korçë came under the control of Eleftherios Venizelos' Movement of National Defence, overthrowing the royalist forces. However, due to developments in the Macedonian Front of World War I the city came soon under French control (1916–1920).

The French initially awarded control of Korçë and the surrounding area to Greek allies, but Albanian çeta guerilla bands led by Themistokli Gërmenji and Sali Butka fought against Venizelist forces for Albanian self-administration.

While Gërmenji negotiated with the French in the city, Butka continued the encirclement; eventually, Butka and the Albanians sent their demands to the French, which ultimately culminated in the creation of the Autonomous Province of Korçë. After coming to the conclusion that the local Albanians thoroughly disliked the Greek administration of the area, on 8 December 1916, Sarrail cabled that French military policy should change to support the Albanian nationalist uprising; by converting the Albanian uprising to the Allied cause, Sarrail hoped to protect his left flank and enable it to join up with the Italians in Vlorë and discourage the Austrians from trying to advance through Albania. Furthermore, a peaceful and stable allied Korçë under French influence would reduce the number of troops the French army needed to commit to hold the area. Main article: Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Korce_French_Cemetery.jpg" caption="French military cemetery"] ::

On the 10th of December 1916, fourteen Albanian delegates, including seven Muslims and seven Christians, proclaimed the Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë.Guy, Nicola C. (2008) Ethnic nationalism, the Great powers and the question of Albanian independence, 1912-1921. Doctoral thesis, Durham University. Pages 196-199: Surprisingly, the first significant developments took place in the French occupied zone. On 10 December 1916, fourteen Albanian representatives (seven Christians and seven Muslims) created an administrative council and proclaimed Koritza an autonomous republic. This regime was highly significant for the Albanian nationalist movement, and it was indicative of the resurgence of Albanian nationalism in one of the areas where it had been strongest before the war. According to Jan Karl Tanenbaum, this regime acted as if it were an independent state, for it minted its own coinage, printed its own stamps, and introduced its own flag'. 438 Stickney considered that the republic gave the Albanians the opportunity for self-government under the French, which she described as the tutelage of those well disposed toward and more experienced than themselves'. Overall, it was a successful experiment in which Muslims and Christians worked together in the administration, and, in particular, without all the complications of great power rivalry and intrigue that had so beset Wilhelm's regime. The great powers appeared far from uninterested. It has been suggested that the French became a new force in Albania, and showed new interest in it becoming an independent state. In reality, as H. James Burgwyn in particular has shown, French activity was only at a local level, and for strategic as opposed to moral or national reasons. Colonel Henri Descoins, the French commander in Koritza, signed a proclamation stating that the regime was to be under French military protection. It was suspected that Descoins was even the author of the document. For the week prior to the proclamation, General Maurice Sarrail, Commander of the Eastern Army, and Descoins were in repeated communication about this project. On 8 December 1916, Sarrail had cabled that the Albanian nationalists should be supported. Tanenbaum contends that Sarrail instigated this action to protect Koritza from Venizelist forces, which had prompted guerrilla warfare by some Albanians. By expelling the Greeks and converting the Albanian nationalists to the Allied cause, Sarrail hoped to protect the left flank. A peaceful and stable Koritza under French control would reduce the number of French troops needed, discourage the Austrians from moving into southern Albania and enable the Eastern Army's left flank to join up with Italian troops in Valona... (p198) *... Irrespective of its cause, this move generated much tension with the Italians. Briand repeatedly assured Sonnino that the French had no designs on either Albania or Koritza. It appears that, even by March 1917 (when he resigned as Premier), Briand had not yet received full information. Sarrail's reports still insisted that the Albanians had proclaimed the republic, then asked for it to be put under French protection, and that Descoins had merely complied with the wishes of the local population. Sarrail wrote that he had `always let the population do what it wanted; ... it does not behove me to meddle in the Greek and Balkan internal political question. Koritza wanted to be independent: now it is, 'However, the ramifications of the Koritza declaration would continue to reverberate well into 1917 and beyond. On 16 February 1918, Sarrail's successor eventually abrogated the proclamation. The Quai d'Orsay was far from keen to have the Albanian nationalist movement develop too far under French influence, in case it jeopardised their more important goals regarding Greece. Changes were only nominal: Greek schools re-opened and Essad was prevented from transferring his government to the town, as sops to the Italians and Greeks, following the latter's eventual entry into the war. But, Koritza retained essentially the same government, and the republic's flag continued to fly over the town. Inter-religious co-operation was maintained, and both faiths were thankful to the French for the opportunity of self-government without much interference. The Albanians were also assured that this action did not threaten their independence. * The French agreed to these demands and the 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. The French pursued policies which strengthened expressions of Albanian nationalism. Greek schools were closed down, Greek clergy and pro-Greek notables expelled while allowing Albanian education and promoting Albanian self-government through the autonomous Korçë republic, although Greek schools were reopened after a year and two months in February 1918. The change in French policy to support the Albanians did create some tensions between France and Italy; the French assured the Italians that they did not have any territorial claims on either Korçë; General Sarrail's reports insisted that the local Albanians had proclaimed the republic, then asked for it to be put under French protection, and that Descoins had merely complied with the wishes of the local population.

On 16 February 1918, Sarrail's successor officially abrogated the proclamation, and following the re-entry of Greece into the war, made concessions to Greek interests including the reopening of Greek schools, but the Albanians were assured that this did not threaten their independence. The Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë remained a reality on the ground, continuing to rule its territory and fly its flag, while inter-religious cooperation was also maintained with both Muslims and Christians being grateful to the French for allowing them to continue their self-governance without much interference.

The Autonomous Republic of Korçë was greatly important for the Albanian nationalist movement, as it demonstrated to the world a resurgence in power for Albanian nationalism in one of the areas where it had been the strongest before the war, and it also demonstrated the successful cooperation of Albanian Christians and Muslims in governance. It later became clear that the military tribunal had made a grave judicial error, its members having been led astray by Greek informers who wished Gërmenji removed since he was a powerful Albanian leader. The severity of this decision seems to indicate that the French military authorities favored the movement of Eleftherios Venizelos and their Greek allies who entered the war alongside the Entente on 12 June 1917, and were against the Albanian national movement led by Gërmenji.

In response to the French turning on the Albanians and the subsequent execution of Themistokli Gërmenji, Sali Butka gathered a force of 20,000 Albanians and surrounded Korçë yet again. He sent the French forces an ultimatum, and Korçë was once again handed over to the Albanians rather than the Greeks, as the French wanted to place Korçë under Greek administration. The Conference of ambassadors, considering Albania's claims to the area, commissioned a League of Nations report consisting of three on the ground commissioners in December 1921. and continued that "there are, however, amongst the population two parties, — one nationalist and the other Grecophile" Sederholm also stated that the Orthodox inhabitants of Korçë abstained from the elections, and criticized the Albanian government for drawing electoral districts in such a way so as to practically disenfranchise the Christian inhabitants. It ultimately remained part of Albania, as determined by the International Boundary Commission, which affirmed the country's 1913 borders. Although assurances were given in the Paris Peace Conference by Albanian officials for the recognition of the Greek minority, Greek speech was prohibited in local education, religious life and in private within Korçë in the 1920s. At November 1921 the Albanian authorities expelled the Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop Jakob. This event triggered demonstrations by the Orthodox community of the city. Immigration quotas during 1922-4 restricted former migrants returning to the United States and Korçë residents instead migrated to Australia to Moora, Western Australia and Shepperton, Victoria working in farming and agriculture related employment.

Communist Albania

Italian forces occupied Korçë in 1939, along with the rest of the country. During the Greco-Italian War it became the main forward base of the Italian air force. Nevertheless, the city came under the control of the advancing Greek forces, on 22 November 1940, during the first phase of the Greek counter-offensive. Korçë remained under Greek control until the German invasion of Greece in April 1941. After Italy's withdrawal from the war in 1943, the Germans occupied the town until 24 October 1944.

During the occupation, the city became a major centre of Communist-led resistance to the Axis occupation of Albania. The establishment of the Albanian Party of Labour—the Communist Party—was formally proclaimed in Korçë in 1941. Albanian rule was restored in 1944 following the withdrawal of German forces.

Right after World War II many people fled to Boston, United States 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 won all the constituencies. Popular revolts in February 1991 ended with the tearing down of Hoxha's statue.

Post-communist Albania

After the fall of communism, the city fell into disregard in many aspects. However following the 2000s, the city experienced a makeover as main streets and alleys started to be reconstructed, locals began to renovate their historic villas, a calendar of events was introduced, building façades painted, and city parks reinvigorated. The European Union is financing the renovation of the Korça Old Bazaar while the city centre was redesigned, and a watch tower constructed.

Geography

Korçë lies mostly between latitudes 40° and 36° N and longitudes 20° and 46° E. The municipality of Korçë is encompassed in the County of Korçë within the Southern Region of Albania and consists of the adjacent administrative units of Drenovë, Lekas, Mollaj, Qendër Bulgarec, Vithkuq, Voskop, Voskopojë and Korçë as its seat.

Climate

As of the Köppen climate classification, Korçë falls under the periphery of the warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb, bordering on Dsb) zone with an average annual temperature of 10.4 C. The warmest month of Korçë is August with an average temperature of 21.3 C. By contrast, the coldest month is January with an average temperature of -0.8 C. Korçë receives around 766.7 mm annual precipitation with summer minimum and winter maximum. Temperatures generally remain cooler than western Albania, due to the middle altitude of the plain in which it is situated, but it receives about 2800 hours of solar radiation per year.

| width = auto | open = | metric first = y | single line = y | location = Korçë (1961-1990) | Jan high C = 4.3 | Feb high C = 6.0 | Mar high C = 9.7 | Apr high C = 14.4 | May high C = 19.6 | Jun high C = 23.5 | Jul high C = 26.5 | Aug high C = 26.4 | Sep high C = 22.7 | Oct high C = 16.7 | Nov high C = 11.1 | Dec high C = 6.0 |Jan mean C = 0.4 |Feb mean C = 1.9 |Mar mean C = 6.0 |Apr mean C = 9.3 |May mean C = 14.0 |Jun mean C = 17.4 |Jul mean C = 19.9 |Aug mean C = 19.9 |Sep mean C = 16.5 |Oct mean C = 11.4 |Nov mean C = 6.6 |Dec mean C = 2.2 |year mean C = | Jan low C = -3.5 | Feb low C = -2.3 | Mar low C = 2.3 | Apr low C = 4.2 | May low C = 8.3 | Jun low C = 11.3 | Jul low C = 13.3 | Aug low C = 13.3 | Sep low C = 10.3 | Oct low C = 6.0 | Nov low C = 2.0 | Dec low C = -1.7 | Jan record high C = 17.4 | Feb record high C = 18.4 | Mar record high C = 21.8 | Apr record high C = 26.7 | May record high C = 31.6 | Jun record high C = 34.3 | Jul record high C = 38.7 | Aug record high C = 36.5 | Sep record high C = 33.1 | Oct record high C = 29.1 | Nov record high C = 22.1 | Dec record high C = 18.1 | Jan record low C = -20.9 | Feb record low C = -16.7 | Mar record low C = -16.5 | Apr record low C = -3.6 | May record low C = 0.0 | Jun record low C = 4.0 | Jul record low C = 5.3 | Aug record low C = 4.9 | Sep record low C = -0.5 | Oct record low C = -7.4 | Nov record low C = -10.2 | Dec record low C = -19.0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 87.5 |Feb precipitation mm = 80.6 |Mar precipitation mm = 84.4 |Apr precipitation mm = 73.2 |May precipitation mm = 102.1 |Jun precipitation mm = 79.2 |Jul precipitation mm = 33.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 33.7 |Sep precipitation mm = 78.7 |Oct precipitation mm = 96.9 |Nov precipitation mm = 137.6 |Dec precipitation mm = 101.6 |year precipitation mm = |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 8.3 |Feb precipitation days = 8.7 |Mar precipitation days = 9.7 |Apr precipitation days = 7.3 |May precipitation days = 10.0 |Jun precipitation days = 6.6 |Jul precipitation days = 3.7 |Aug precipitation days = 3.8 |Sep precipitation days = 5.4 |Oct precipitation days = 6.6 |Nov precipitation days = 9.1 |Dec precipitation days = 8.7 |year precipitation days = 88.0 |source 1 = NOAA (precipitation 1973-2023){{cite web | url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/TABLES/REG__VI/AB/13629.TXT | title = Korçë Climate Normals 1961-1990 | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = 22 January 2023 | url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=global-summary-of-the-day&stations=13629099999&startDate=1700-01-01&endDate=2023-12-31&dataTypes=MAX,MIN,PRCP | title = Global Surface Summary of the Day - GSOD | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = 22 January 2023

Politics

Korçë is a municipality governed by a mayor–council government system with the mayor of Korçë and the members of the Korçë Municipal Council authorized for the administration of Korçë Municipality. Korçë is home to two foreign consulates; Greek and Romanian.

International relations

Korçë is twinned with:

• ESP Los Alcázares, Spain
• ROU Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• KOS Mitrovica, Kosovo
• GRC Thessaloniki, Greece

Korçë also cooperates with:

• ITA Verona, Italy
• AUT Wolfsberg, Austria

Economy

During the Stalinist rule of Enver Hoxha, Korçë gained a substantial industrial capacity in addition to its historic role as a commercial and agricultural centre. Local industries include the manufacture of knitwear, rugs, textiles, flour-milling, brewing, and sugar-refining. The city is home to the nationally famous Birra Korça.

According to official reports the city enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The majority of foreign investment comes from Greek, as well as joint Albanian-Greek enterprises.

Infrastructure

Education

The city is home to Fan Noli University, founded in 1971, which offers several degrees in the humanities, sciences and business. The university includes a school in Agriculture, Teaching, Business, Nursing, and Tourism.

With the prohibition of Greek education in the city, at c. 1922, there was a constant demand for the reopening a Greek school. After the collapse of the Socialist Republic, part of the local communities expressed a growing need to revive their cultural past, in particular with the reopening of Greek language institutions. In addition, a total of 17 Greek language tutoring centres function in the city.

In 2009, a madrassa (Islamic highschool) was built in Korçë and is operated by the Muslim Community of Albania.

Demography

Korçë is the 7th populous city in Albania and the largest city in the Korçë County. In 2007, the population of the city was about 86,176 inhabitants. According to the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the city of Korçë include 51,683 (25,478 male; 26,205 female) people as of the 2011 Census. The city of Korçë was one of the major centres of the Greek minority in southern Albania, the other being Gjirokastër. A Greek minority is still found in Korçë.

Aromanians of Korçë live mainly in one neighborhood of the city where they speak Aromanian, have Aromanian cultural associations that are divided between pro-Romanian and pro-Greek factions, receive church liturgy in Aromanian and maintain cultural and economic connections to Romania and Greece.

Romani also inhabit the city, in particular the Kulla e Hirit neighborhood and their presence in the city mainly dates to the early 20th century when they migrated from Turkey to Florina and ultimately Korçë.

|align = right |total_width =240

|image1 = Katedralja “Ngjallja e Krishtit”, Korçë.jpg |width1 = 940 |height1 =

|image2 = Ilyaz Bej Mirahori Mosque–2013.jpg |width2 = 860 |height2 =

|footer = Resurrection Cathedral of Korçë is the main church of the city (left). The Mirahori Mosque was built in 1494 (right).

For centuries Korçë has been an important religious centre for both Orthodox Christians and Muslims, hosting a significant Orthodox community as well as significant Sunni and Bektashi communities in and around the city. The main centre of the Bektashis of the area is the Turan Takya. In modern days, there are also smaller numbers of Catholics and Protestants in the city, as well the irreligious. The second Albanian Protestant church was opened in Korçë.{{cite web | url=http://www.kishareformuardurres.org/shfaqja-e-kishes-protestante-tek-shqiptaret/|title=Shfaqja e kishës protestante tek shqiptarët|access-date= 23 September 2017|date=12 April 2014}} In 1940, Korçë's Evangelical Church was closed down by the Italian fascist forces.

Even before the foundation of the modern town, the Korçë district was initially part of the Metropolis of Kastoria (15th century), but in the early 17th century became the seat of an Orthodox bishop and in 1670 was elevated to metropolitan bishopric. The city remained entirely Christian until the first half of the 16th century. The Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George, a significant landmark in the city, was demolished by the authorities of the People's Republic of Albania during the atheistic campaign. The St. Sotir Church serves the Aromanian community of Korçë. It was built from 1995 to 2005. The church had already existed in the early 20th century, having been completed in 1925, but it was demolished by the Albanian communist authorities in 1959.

Islam entered the city in the 15th century through Iljaz Hoxha, an Albanian janissary, who actively participated in the Fall of Constantinople. One of the oldest mosques in Albania was built by Iljaz Hoxha in 1484, the Iliaz Mirahori Mosque. The Romani population of Korçë consists of Muslims, who in the 1920s maintained their own mosques in the city, while there are also Orthodox Christian Roma in the city's Varosh neighbourhood.

Culture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/40-korce-shaggy-carpet-hook-designs-artiesa.jpg" caption="url-status=live}}" alt="A shaggy carpet with hook designs from Korçë"] ::

Korçë being one of the important cultural and economic centers in the country is known for its low houses and villas, paved with cobblestone. It is the home of the largest carnival in Albania that takes place before Orthodox Easter, a tradition dating back 40 years. Musically, the city is known for the local songs, called serenata. Organised by the Korçë municipality, the annual summer Lakror Festival () celebrating Lakror, the regional Albanian pie is held in Korçë or sometimes in a village of the wider area which is attended by locals and tourists.

The city is the birthplace of Albania's first women to work as professional painters, Androniqi Zengo Antoniu and Sofia Zengo Papadhimitri, whose father Vangjel Zengo was a notable icon painter.

Historically, Korçë is known as an origin for handmade rugs with its unique motifs and symbols.

Museums

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Kor%C3%A7%C3%AB_NMMA_-_Kurjan_Alexanders_Himmelfahrt.jpg" caption="aerial flight]] of [[Alexander the Great]], [[National Museum of Medieval Art"] ::

Korçë is referred to as the city of museums. The city hosts two major museums such as the National Museum of Medieval Art and National Museum of Archeology. The National Museum of Medieval Art has rich archives of about 7000 icons and 500 other objects in textile, stone and metal. The first Albanian School as well as the residence and gallery of painter Vangjush Mio function as museums. The Bratko Museum and the Oriental Museum are also located in the city.

Korçë has a city theatre, the Andon Zako Çajupi Theatre, which started its shows in 1950 and has been working uninterruptedly since.

Sport

One of Korçë's most popular sports is football. Its most popular soccer club is Skënderbeu Korçë and was formed on 15 April 1909 under the name Vllazëria by politician and poet Hilë Mosi. They were Albanian Champions in 1933 and recently, in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and 2018. In 2015 the club became the first Albanian side to reach the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League but they lost to Dinamo Zagreb and dropped into the UEFA Europa League, and became the first Albanian club to qualify for the group stage of European competition.

References

Sources

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