The history of Korca. (Old buildings,important place,museums,events, religion, climate, economy)

2. • 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.

5. 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".

7. Religion
For 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.

9. Museums and culture
Students 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.

10. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

18. 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 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

19. 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 Balkans
History 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.

22. 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.

23. • 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.

25. 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.