Poliçan
Πολύτσανη | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 40°7′53″N 20°21′2″E / 40.13139°N 20.35056°E | |
Country | Albania |
County | Gjirokastër |
Municipality | Dropull |
Municipal unit | Pogon |
Time zone | UTC+1 ( CET) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC+2 ( CEST) |
Postal Code | 6007
[1] |
Poliçan ( Greek: Πολύτσανη, romanized: Polytsani) is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. [2] At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Dropull. [3] It is within the wider Pogoni region that stretches in both Greece and Albania. [4] Poliçan was the municipal center of the former Pogon commune in Albania. It is nicknamed "the Bride of the Pogoni region" and is inhabited by ethnic Greeks. [5]
In classical antiquity the region was inhabited by the Chaonians, [6] one of the three major Greek tribes that inhabited ancient Epirus. [7] Polican was identified with the Chaonian settlement Politeiani ( Greek: Πολιτειανή) also known as Polyani ( Greek: Πολυανή). The name appears to be borrowed from the nearby mountain Polyainos. [6] Ancient coins depicting Alexander the Great have been unearthed in Poliçan. [8]
The ancient name has changed to the present form (Polyts(i)ani) during the Slavic invasion (7th-8th century). [6] In the late Byzantine period (11th-15th century) two Christian Orthodox monasteries were erected next to Polican. [6] After the Fall of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade (1204), Polican became part of the Greek Despotate of Epirus and refuge for various Byzantine noble families. [9]
At the period of Ottoman occupation, that started in mid-15th century, Polican enjoyed a privileged semi-autonomous status which led to economic and cultural flourishing. [9] The settlement was included in the Koinon of Zagori, although geographically it was not part of the Zagori region, but belonged to the Pogoni villages. [4]
In the early 16th century two significant church buildings were erected in the town: Saint Athanasius (1513) and Saint Demetrius (1526). Both of them display unique features of early post-Byzantine art. [10] A Greek school was founded in 1672 by the local Orthodox missionary Sophianos next to the church of Saint Athanasius. [11] The school attracted also students from the nearby regions next to Gjirokastër ( Zagori and Riza). [12]
A second school started operating in 1750, sponsored by a local businessman and benefactor. [11] Greek education was expanded with the foundation of two secondary level schools in 1866, in addition to a boys' and a girls' school in 1866 and 1874 respectively. [13] The local educational institutions became renowned to such a degree that their graduates were eligible for admission to any Greek college in the Ottoman capital Constantinople ( Istanbul) without qualifying examinations. [14] The schools of Polican were financed by the local community and especially by local businessmen and benefactors as well as by the town's diaspora. [15]
Polican and the rest of the settlements in the Pogon municipality became part of Albania in the 1920s. [16] In 1940, when Axis Italy launched a failed invasion against Greece from Albanian territory during World War II, the town came under the control of the II Army Corps of the Greek forces. [17]
The Greek communities that reside in Pogon have a recognized minority status by the Albanian state. [18] A Greek elementary school is currently operating in Polican. [19]
In 1913 the population of Polican was 1,650 (Greek census). [20] During the interwar period it reached ca. 2,500 inhabitants that spoke Greek. [21] but it decreased to 559 in 1989. [22] According to a 2014 report by the Albanian government, there were 729 ethnic Greeks in the village. [23]
Polican is located on the slopes of Mount Nemërçkë, 13 km (8 mi) from the Greek-Albanian border. [5] [24] It is the northernmost Greek speaking village within the Pogoni region, which is divided between Greece (40 villages) and Albania (7 villages). [4] [18] [24]
In Polican, along with the rest of the Pogoni region, polyphonic singing is part of the local musical tradition. [18]