Vernik (, bg, Връбник, mk, Врбник, ''Vrbnik'') is a village in the former

Qendër Bilisht Qendër Bilisht is a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It ...

Municipality of the Korçë County in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, on the border with Krystallopigi in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Devoll. It is situated south of the Small Prespa Lake.

History

Vrabnik Petition for a Bulgarian School 1925

In 1873, then under the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, the village was listed twice in a demographic survey, once as a ''Verlink'', containing 86 households and 220 male

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...

, and again as ''Vrbnik'', containing 70 households and 205 male

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

. According to another late 19th century estimate by Vasil Kanchov, the village had 600 Bulgarian

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. In 1903, during the Ilinden Uprising, all 80 of the village's houses were burnt down. The population of the village was under the supremacy of the

Bulgarian Exarchate The Bulgarian Exarchate ( bg, Българска екзархия, Balgarska ekzarhiya; tr, Bulgar Eksarhlığı) was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and th ...

since 1904. At the outbreak of the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

, Vernik sent six volunteers to join the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the village was part of Greece. In the 1913 and 1920 censuses, it had 489 and 366 residents, respectively. In 1925, the village elders sent a petition to the Prefecture of Korça asking for the opening of a Bulgarian school in the village. In 1939, on behalf of 70 Bulgarian houses in Vrbnik the revolutionary Nikola Pandovski signed a request by the local Bulgarians to the Bulgarian

tsaritsa Tsarina or tsaritsa (also spelled ''csarina'' or ''csaricsa'', ''tzarina'' or ''tzaritza'', or ''czarina'' or ''czaricza''; bg, царица, tsaritsa; sr, / ; russian: царица, tsaritsa) is the title of a female autocratic ruler (mona ...

Giovanna Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Jane, Joanna, Jeanne, etc. In Brazil, the feminine name Giovann ...

requesting her intervention for the protection of the Bulgarian people in Albania - at that time an Italian protectorate. Demographics The Kostur dialect of the

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

(or

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

) language is spoken in the village. Due to religion having an influence on identity Macedonians of Vërnik view Orthodox

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

as ''nash'' (ours) while Macedonian-speaking Muslims are not viewed as ''nash''. "Moreover, religion can have an influence on attitudes toward identity. Thus for example Macedonian-speaking Christians in Vrbnik (Vërnik) refer to Orthodox Albanian-speakers as nash 'ours' but do not consider Macedonian-speaking Muslims as nash, nor do those Muslims tend to identify as ethnic Macedonians.

People from Vernik

Nikolaos Dailakis Nikolaos or Lakis Dailakis ( el, Νικόλαος Νταηλάκης) was a Greeks, Greek revolutionary of the Macedonian Struggle, Greek Struggle for Macedonia. Early life and family Dailakis was born in the village of Verniki, Manastir Vilaye ...

, Greek revolutionary *

Nako Grozdanov Nako may refer to: People * Rudin Nako (born 1987), Albanian footballer Given name *Nako (Obotrite prince) (fl. 954–c. 966), Obotrite leader * (born 1972), Japanese Paralympic archer * (born 1993), Japanese actress * (born 1993), Japanese wo ...

(1886 - 1969), member of the

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр� ...

* Boncho Nestorov (1906 - 1987), Bulgarian writer and journalist *

Nikola Pandovski Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Monteneg ...

, Bulgarian revolutionary, member of the

Ognjanov, Mihail. Македония - преживяна съдба, ИК Гутенберг, София, 2002, стр.142, 143, 146, 151, 155. *

Kristo Temelko Kristo may refer to: Given name Surname *Borjana Krišto (born 1961), Bosnian Croat politician *Danny Kristo (born 1990), American hockey player Other uses * ''Kristo'' (1996 film) See also * Christo (disambiguation) * Cristo (disambiguation ...

, communist politician

References

{{Devoll div Populated places in Devoll (municipality) Albania–Greece border crossings Villages in Korçë County