PROJECT

HISTORY OF OUR TOWN

• Korçë (definite Albanian form: Korça) is a city in southeastern Albania and the seat of Korçë County. The population at the 2011 census was 51,152. It is the sixth largest city in Albania. It stands on a plateau some 850 m (2,789 ft) above sea level, surrounded by the Morava Mountains.

Korçë - The Paris of Albania

The historical town of Korçë (pronounced Core-cha) has a well-preserved historical center with

cobblestone streets and many surviving villas that were built in the early 20th century. From 1916 -

1920, the town was under French control and eventually it was declared an autonomous region

with French support.The continental influence resulted in the

construction of neoclassical villas, two famous cinemas and a tradition of photography and art

appreciation. Korçë was known at one point as the "Paris of Albania".

ReligionFor centuries Korçë has been an important religious

centre for Orthodox Christians. It hosts a large Orthodox community and since 1670 has served as

the seat of an Orthodox metropolitan bishop. There is also a large Sunni community in and around the

city. Islam entered the city in the 15th century through Iljaz Hoxha, a famous Albanian jannissary,

who actively participated in the Fall of Constantinople. One of the oldest mosques was built

in Albania by Iljaz Hoxha in 1484, the Ilias Mirahori Mosque. A Bektashi community is also present in the city. The main centre of the Bektashis of the area is

the Turan Tekke.

Museums and cultureStudents in front of the first officially

recognized Albanian school in modern Albania, in 1899 (left), modern view of the school building, now serves as a museum (right).

Korçë is referred to as the city of museums. The National Museum of Medieval Art of

Albania has 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 residence and gallery of painter Vangjush

Mio function as museums. The Bratko Museum and theOriental 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.

Medieval Art Museum• Korça's best museum has an excellent collection of 6,500 medieval and modern

icons from Southern Albania, as well as 1,500 other objects, of which some 200 icons and 50 metal objects are on display in this curious building. Once the most important Orthodox church of Korça, the Mitropolia church of Shën Gjergj (Saint George) was 'renovated' beyond recognition during totalitarian rule and opened as a museum in 1987 – you can still recognise bits of the church inside and next door in the newly re-established Shën Gjergj church. Starting with icons from the 14th century and proceeding in chronological order, most icons in the museum are from the 16th-19th centuries. Many are from Voskopoja, which in the 17th was one of the main centres for iconography in the Balkans. Orthodox art was highly regulated, and all icons had to be painted following precise instructions, with a fixed position prescribed for each saint; Mary can only be depicted in nine poses. Note the two icons of St. George that incorporate grisly martyrdom scenes, with Turks (representing evil of course) inflicting unimaginable cruelty upon unwitting Christians who immediately acquire haloes. The museum's highlight is the collection of icons by the 16th century Albanian master Onufri, which stand out for their vivid colours and wonderful detail. Onufri started his career in Berat (where there is a smaller but equally interesting icon museum dedicated to him) but made his finest works later in Gjirokastra.

Archaeology Museum

• Housed in two charming and well-preserved Ottoman-era buildings around a cobblestone courtyard that are worth a visit alone, the town's archaeology museum holds 1,200 Hellenic, Roman and Paleo-Byzantine objects from 6000 BCE to 600 CE. Highlights of the museum are a Byzantine-era floor mosaic and various Roman graves.

Bratko Museum of Oriental Art• This curious avant-garde building combining a traditional Japanese tori

gate with modern glass architecture and concrete wave patterns houses the impressive art collection of the Albanian-American Dhimitër Boria (1903-1990). Boria emigrated from Albania when he was 17, attending art school in Detroit before working in Hollywood in an early animation studio and as silhouette artist. Boria became a photographer for the US Army in 1942, and after the war continued working as a photographer for the UN and US Army, travelling widely in Europe and Asia. It's in this period that he started to collect Japanese and later other Oriental art. Some 400 artefacts are now exhibited in this purpose-built museum named after his mother. The exhibition kicks off in the cellar with several oriental carpets, but the prize artefacts are upstairs, where you'll find pottery, jewellery, textiles and furniture from 17 countries across Asia. Look out for the Tibetan tanka cloths, the Indian Hindi and Buddhist statues, the silver lobsters and chickens, and the fabulous Indonesian (and even some African) masks.

First Albanian School• Focus of considerable pride and symbol

of national awakening under Ottoman rule, the first secular school with subjects taught in Albanian was opened in Korça on March 7, 1887. Until then, education was only given by travelling teachers. Korça was a logical place for the first school, as it was Albania's largest and most developed city. Though the school was originally mixed, a special girls' school was opened soon after, in 1891. The Ottoman rulers tolerated the schools as Albanians came in handy in the Ottoman Army, but after Albanians began to request too many liberties in following decades, their schools were closed.

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 710 millimeters (28 in) annual precipitation with summer minimum and winter maximum, which makes it easily the driest major city in generally humid Albania, owing to the rain shadow of the coastal mountains. 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.

WINTER

EconomyDuring 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 coal are mined in the mountains nearby such as Mborje-Drenovë. 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 Greeks,

as well as joint Albanian-Greek enterprises

Korça, Bazaar of the Serenades

Korça is an Albanian town on the borders of Albania, Greece and Macedonia. It is known for its bazaar which unfortunately is now in a semi-

abandonned state.This article continues our in-depth analysis of markets with Ottoman origins in the BalkansHistory books describe it as one of the most

beautiful çarshijas in the Balkans. In the collective memory of older Albanians it has

remained the old Pazar or, more romantically, the Bazaar of the Serenades.

Korça events April: Pottery fair, Blv. Republika by the cathedral. Display and sales of pottery. May: Sotir International Photography Competition, Vangjush Mio Cultural Centre.

Renowned photographers from Albania and abroad exhibit their works. June 1 celebrations, Rinia Park. A festival for children, with playgrounds and activities

such as painting and drawing. June: Korça Carnival. Nowhere in Albania is carnival celebrated as much as in Korça and

this summer event with a parade of local and international groups attracts thousands of visitors.

June/July: Sculptures in the Park, Rinia Park. An international sculpting symposium, which sees the resulting sculptures given to the city for exhibition in Rinia Park.

July: Lakror Pie Festival, Rinia Park. A festival set around the delicious traditional-style lakror or byrek pie. There's live music, a children's programme and lots of pie of course.

August: Beer Fest, near Rinia Park. The biggest event of the year, with tens of thousands of people enjoying beer, traditional food, beer games, music and performances.

September: Car-free day. Experience Korça without the traffic, but with a festive atmosphere.

September 29: Cultural Heritage Day, Korça and Pogradec. A celebration of local culture, with events, special exhibitions of object or heritage places, free admission to museums, and more.

Late October: Vangjush Mio Days. A festival of local and international painters, with the city as their muse and inspiration for 4 days.

December: End of year fair. Korça is decorated with twinkling lights and a winter fair with stalls selling toys, sweets, baked apples, drinks like mulled wine. There's music and exhibitions too.

Late December: Santa Parade. Babagjyshi, the Albanian Santa, rides through town in his carriage.

• Musicians, actors, traditional dancers, clowns, acrobats and people wearing masks, along with fairy-tale characters and young soldiers, will fill the center of Korca creating an amazing atmosphere of joy and celebration.

• Karnevalet e Korçës is more than just vibrant parades and exciting music rhythms, it’s actually a city’s ingenious method to carry on its traditions and culture, and a beautiful process of reinventing itself, after a communist era which banned most of its attempts of expression and evolution.

• The Carnival attracts thousands of visitors each year, becoming both a local pride, as well as an interesting opportunity for foreign tourists to deepen and enjoy the distinguished Albanian culture. Gathering together a wide selection of foreign and local participants, both young as well as experienced performers.

Korca Beer Fest is the biggest event in Albania.

Within 5 days, over 100.000 people visit the festival. The large number of visitors is mostly due to basic festival principles: free entrance, an exceptional music program, and a wide range of foreign and domestic beer brands.

Korca Beer fest was founded in year 2007. In six years of its existence over 500 000 visitors could have seen more than 100 free music performances and tasted a lot of beer brands.

The festival has received the Albania Tourism Award in 2010

Owing to all the mentioned, Korca Beer Fes established itself as one of the most important segments of the tourist offer of Korca Region, as well as a brand that promotes our city and strengthens its image.