Zvërnec
title: "Zvërnec" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["aromanian-settlements-in-albania", "greek-communities-in-albania", "populated-places-in-vlorë", "villages-in-vlorë-county"] topic_path: "general/aromanian-settlements-in-albania" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zvërnec" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement AL"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| type | v |
| other_name | Σβέρνιτσα |
| image_skyline | Zvërnec, Albania – Adria Coast 02.jpg |
| image_caption | View of the Zvërnec coast |
| county | Vlorë |
| municipality | Vlorë |
| municunit | Qendër Vlorë |
| coordinates | |
| module | {{Infobox lighthouse |
| embed | yes |
| qid | Q106440145 |
| :: |
| type = v | other_name = Σβέρνιτσα |image_shield = |image_skyline = Zvërnec, Albania – Adria Coast 02.jpg |image_caption = View of the Zvërnec coast |image_location = | county = Vlorë | municipality = Vlorë | municunit = Qendër Vlorë | coordinates = | module = {{Infobox lighthouse | embed = yes | qid = Q106440145 Zvërnec (Zvërneci; , el) is a community in Vlorë County, Albania. Following the 2015 local government reform, it became part of the municipality of Vlorë. The settlement lies northwest of the city of Vlorë.
It is populated by members of the local Greek minority, who speak a distinctive northern Greek dialect, as well as Aromanians.
Name
The toponym Zvërnec is derived from the Slavic word zvěr , rendered in Bulgarian as звяр, bg and in Old Church Slavonic as звѣрь, cu; the ě underwent a sound change into e. The suffix has either an ец, ets or ьн-ец, yn-ets formation.
History
During classical antiquity, the coastal area of the Bay of Vlorë, where the present-day villages of Zvërnec and Nartë are located, was inhabited by Ancient Greeks. Since these two villages today constitute the northernmost pockets of Modern Greek speech, Hatzopoulos (1997) raises the question of whether this is a coincidence or whether they represent isolated linguistic relics of the ancient Balaiitai and Horikioi.
The view that the Greek-speaking populations of Zvërnec and Nartë represent an uninterrupted presence from antiquity is rejected by Sh. Demiraj (2010), who argues that this hypothesis lacks linguistic or historical evidence. Instead, Demiraj proposes that their ancestors were relatively late arrivals from the Greek-speaking regions around Arta. He cites anthroponymic data preserved in 16th-century defters, specifically those of 1520 and 1583, which record predominantly south Albanian Orthodox names in Nartë. The personal names also lack the Greek suffix -s and include consonants uncommon in Modern Greek, such as /b/ (e.g., Bogdan, Tërbari). Moreover, some surnames indicate immigration from neighbouring Albanian villages (such as Bulku or Palasa). Demiraj concludes that the question of Greek-language use in the area remains open.
Kyriazis (2012), however, argues that the 16th-century Ottoman registers also contain evidence supporting continuity and internal differentiation of the population. He further notes that the absence of the suffix -s does not necessarily indicate a lack of Greek presence, as this omission is common in Ottoman documentation from unquestionably Greek-speaking regions. Kyriazis additionally remarks that, if the local Greek speech has historical depth reaching into antiquity, it is necessary to investigate when and how northern vocalic features entered the dialect. He suggests that these developments may reflect either later settlement by speakers of northern Greek varieties during the early Ottoman period or internal linguistic evolution.
Historian Alain Ducellier identified the medieval city of Spinarica with Zvërnec. In 1297, Spinaritza was governed by the dux Kalamanos, a member of the noble Greek Strategopoulos family. In 1301, Andronikos Palaiologos became the governor of the Spinarica district.
Demographics
Zvërnec, together with nearby Nartë, forms a Greek-speaking enclave in the area north of Vlorë. Speakers of Aromanian are also present in the settlement.
According to a 2014 state report, the total number of registered citizens belonging to the Greek minority in the area is 900.
Location
The surrounding region contains extensive salt marshes. The Narta Lagoon, which hosts a distinctive ecosystem, lies north of the village. Near Zvërnec is the island of Zvërnec, which houses the Byzantine monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. To the east of the settlement there is a lighthouse.
Notable people
- Fatos Arapi, Albanian writer and translator
Citations
Bibliography
- {{cite conference | title = Protection of coastal areas of the Adriatic Sea: proceedings: colloquy organised within the framework of European Nature Conservation Year 1995 in co-operation with the Ministry of Health and Environment of Albania | author = ((Council of Europe; Albania Ministry of Health and Environment)) | year = 1995 | publisher = Council of Europe Publishing | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DMkEEnCwi18C | isbn = 978-92-871-2851-5
- {{cite report | title = Fourth Report submitted by Albania pursuant to Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities | publisher = Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Albania | url = https://rm.coe.int/16806befc5 | access-date = 28 December 2018 | ref =
- {{cite book | title = Epirus: the Geography, the Ancient Remains, the History and Topography of Epirus and Adjacent Areas | last = Hammond | first = Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière | year = 1967 | publisher = Clarendon Press | location = Oxford | quote = Svernicë, where the people speak Greek and Vlach | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gI5QjgEACAAJ&q=dunes | isbn = 978-019814253-9
- {{cite book | title = Collected Studies: Alexander and his successors in Macedonia | last = Hammond | first = Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière | year = 1994 | publisher = A.M. Hakkert | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1WwiAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Now+the+only+traces+of+Greek+influence+are+in+the+monastery+on+the+island+of+Svernec+and+in+the+Greek+speech+of+two+tiny+villages%2C+Svernec+and+Arte.%22
- {{Cite book | title = Epirus: 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization | last1 = Hatzopoulos | first1 = M. B. | last2 = Loukopoulou | first2 = L. D. | last3 = Sakellariou | first3 = M. B. | year = 1997 | publisher = Ekdotike Athenon | series = Greek lands in history | quote = The above review suggests that the northern boundaries of Hellenism in Epirus during Classical Antiquity lay in the valley of the Aoos. Is it purely chance that at the present day, the northernmost Greek-speaking villages are Arta and Svernitsa in the Gulf of Aulon - isolated relics of the ancient Horikioi and Balaiitai? | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UV1oAAAAMAAJ&q=%22 | isbn = 978-960213377-4
- {{cite book | title = Five Albanian Villages: guidelines for a Sustainable Tourism Development through the Enhancement of the Cultural Heritage | last1 = Lauria | first1 = Antonio | last2 = Flora | first2 = Valbona | last3 = Guza | first3 = Kamela | year = 2020 | publisher = Firenze University Press | url = https://albania.iom.int/sites/albania/files/publication/Five%20Albanian%20Villages.pdf | isbn = 978-88-5518-174-7 | archive-date = 21 November 2021 | access-date = 21 November 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211121224052/https://albania.iom.int/sites/albania/files/publication/Five%20Albanian%20Villages.pdf | url-status = dead
- {{cite web | title = Law nr. 115/2014 | language = sq | url = https://www.vendime.al/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/137-2014.pdf | access-date = 25 February 2022 | ref =
References
- Ylli, Xhelal. (1997). "Das slavische Lehngut im Albanischen. Teil 2: Ortsnamen". Verlag Otto Sagner.
- {{harvnb. Demiraj. 2010
- Kyriazis, Doris. (2018). "Slavic elements in the Greek idioms of South Albania". Philologica Jassyensia.
- Hatzopoulos, M. B.. (1997). "The Borders of Hellenism in Epirus during Antiquity". Ekdotike Athenon.
- {{cite ngall. 113. 2015
- {{cite rowlett. alb
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