Himarë (town)

Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara, Greek: Χειμάρρα, romanized: ''Himárra'') is a bilingual town in Southern Albania along the Albanian Riviera and part of the Vlorë County. It is the largest settlement and the seat of the municipality of Himarë. Both the town and municipality are populated predominantly by an ethnic Greek community.

History

In antiquity the region was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the Chaonians. "Epirus was a land of milk and animal products...The social unit was a small tribe, consisting of several nomadic or semi-nomadic groups, and these tribes, of which more than seventy names are known, coalesced into large tribal coalitions, three in number: Thesprotians, Molossians and Chaonians...We know from the discovery of inscriptions that these tribes were speaking the Greek language (in a West-Greek dialect)" The town of Himarë is believed to have been founded as ''Χίμαιρα'',An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by The Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation by Mogens Herman Hansen, 2005, page 340. (''Chimaira'' or ''Chimaera'', hence the name ''Himara'') by the Chaonians as a trading outpost on the Chaonian shore. However, another theory according to the name suggest that comes from Greek ''χείμαρρος'' (''cheimarros''), meaning "torrent".

The town is noted among ancient writers, including Pliny the Elder and Procopius.

The town of Himara during the 16th-18th centuries was ecclesiastically under the jurisdiction of Rome, and some of its inhabitants were Catholics of the Eastern rite.

Notable people

* Christos Bekas, Greek Army general in the Greek War of Independence (1821–1830).
* Vasil Bollano, former mayor of Himarë and President of the organization of the Greek minority, " Omonoia".
* Pyrros Dimas, Greek weight-lifting athlete
* Christos Armandos Gezos, novelist and poet
* Kostas Kaznezis, Greek Army general in the Greek War of Independence.Banac, Ackerman, Szporluk, Vucinich, 1981
p. 46
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* Zachos Milios (1805–1860), Greek Army officer and revolutionary
* Panos Bitsilis, Greek revolutionary
* Paskal Milo politician
* Sotiris Ninis, Greek footballer
* Spyromilios (1800–1880), Greek Army general and politician
* Spyros Spyromilios (1864–1930), Greek Gendarmerie officer, declared the region's autonomy (1914)
* Pyrros Spyromilios (1913–1961), Greek Navy officer
* Neço Muko (1899-1934), Traditional Albanian music Singer and Composer

See also

* Himara
*Greeks in Albania
* Tourism in Albania

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Himare (Town)
Populated places in Himara
Seaside resorts in Albania
Greek communities in Albania
Labëria