Radolišta ( mk, Радолишта, sq, Ladorisht) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Struga Struga ( mk, Струга , sq, Strugë) is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of North Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality. Name The nam ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

Geography

This village is located in the southwest of Struga Municipality, at the foot of the Jabllanicë mountain range. The village is in hilly-mountain altitude of above sea level.

History

Human settlement in Radolišta has a long history that dates back to late antiquity: :- Traces of old structural foundations located in the eastern part of the village :- Paleochristian Basilica (locally called "Bazilika"), built in the 6th century :- Necropolis (7th-8th centuries)

Basilica and Necropolis

The Paleochristian Basilica belonged to the Illyrian

Dassareti The Dassaretii (Ancient Greek: ''Δασσαρῆται, Δασσαρήτιοι'', Latin: ''Dassaretae'', ''Dassaretii'') were an Illyrian people that lived in the inlands of southern Illyria, between present-day south-eastern Albania and south-w ...

tribe, which had inhabited this region since antiquity. The Bazilika lies on the southern side of Ladorisht, in an area called 'Livadhet e Dautit' (Daut's Meadows). Excavations began under Dimçe Koço in 1954 and were finished in 1976 by the archaeologist Vlado Malenko. As a result of these excavations, graves from the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

were also discovered. The Bazilika consists of a narthex, exonarthex, annex and an intersection. Of particular note are the Narthex and the central ship, which are covered by floors and mosaics stylized with flora and geometric decorations, as well as landscapes of living birds. The Bazilika dates between the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 5th century, whereas the graves date between the 7th-8th centuries. The findings within this necropolis have similarities and connectivity with the

Komani-Kruja culture The Komani-Kruja culture is an archaeological culture attested from late antiquity to the Middle Ages in central and northern Albania, southern Montenegro and similar sites in the western parts of North Macedonia. It consists of settlements usuall ...

, which is hypothesized to be the link between the ancestral population of the Albanians and the medieval Albanians.

Balkan wars

In 1918, Pesočani was razed, and Albanians fled to nearby villages such as Radolišta where the families of their descendants are known by the village name of Pesoçan, were brutally killed.

Demographics

The village of Radolišta is inhabited by

Tosks Tosks ( sq, Toskët) are one of two major dialectal subgroups of Albanians (the other being the Ghegs) differentiated by their cultural, linguistic, social and religious characteristics. Territory ''Tosk'' may refer to the Tosk-speaking Albania ...

, a subgroup of southern Albanians who speak the

Tosk Albanian Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is ...

dialect. "Ladorishti, Frëngova, Zagraçani dhe Kalishti fshatra toske" "Fshatrat e rrethinës së Strugës siç janë: Kalishti, Frengova, Ladorishti, Zagraçani dhe Shumi flasin në dialektin toskë, kurse në të gjithë fshatrat e tjerë flitet gegënishtja". Radolišta is one of the largest villages in the region of

with more than 800 houses. As of the 2021 census, Radolišta had 2,067 residents with the following ethnic composition:Total resident population of the Republic of North Macedonia by ethnic affiliation, by settlement, Census 2021
/ref> *Albanians 1,954 *Persons for whom data are taken from administrative sources 112 *Macedonians 1 According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 3,119 inhabitants.Macedonian Census (2002)
''Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion''
The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 182.

Culture

In the village, cultural life is organized, and sports activities through the football club 'Flamurtari(progress) and SHKA Valët e Liqenit (Lake Waves) are represented in many festivals as well as being honoured with many awards and praise. Radolišta is also rooted in cultural heritage as Ura e Gurit OPALE (Stone Bridge OPALE).

Sports

The local football club,

KF Flamurtari Ladorisht KF Flamurtari Ladorisht ( mk, ФК Фљамуртари Радолишта, FK Fljamurtari Radolišta) is a football club based in the village of Ladorisht near Struga, North Macedonia. They are currently competing in the Macedonian Third League ...

plays in the

Macedonian Third Football League The Macedonian Third League ( mk, Македонска Трета Лига - Makedonska Treta Liga) is the third highest football competition in North Macedonia. In 2019–20, the competition will be divided into five divisions named Third Leagu ...

Gallery

File:Center of Radolista.jpg, Village centre and square File:Ladorishti 01.jpg, Houses of Radolišta File:Panorama of Struga, with Lake Ohrid in background.jpg, View from Radolišta looking out toward Struga (far background) File:Ladorishti 02.jpg, Radolišta and Lake Ohrid (background) File:Ladorishti 03.jpg, Radolišta, it's mosque and nearby fields File:Radolishta basilica.JPG, Floor mosaic of Christian basilica (6th century)

References

External links

Ladorishti.org - Community website
Villages in Struga Municipality Albanian communities in North Macedonia Illyrian North Macedonia {{Struga-geo-stub