Ersekë ( sq-definite, Erseka), is a town and a former municipality in southeastern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Kolonjë. Founded in the 17th century, Erseka was the seat of the former Kolonjë District. The population at the 2011 census was 3,746.2011 census results
Situated at the foot of the Gramos mountains, it is a small alpine town at 1050 meters in altitude, making it one of the highest towns in Albania.

History

The history of the town began during the 17th century. In 1785 the city was populated by 100 families. In 1914 it came under the control of the Northern Epirote forces, which repelled the newly established Albanian gendarmerie units from the region. On 21 November 1940, during the Greco-Italian War, units of the II Army Corps of the advancing Greek forces entered Ersekë after breaching the Italian defences.

Culture

The " Fan Stilian Noli" center hosts several artistic and cultural shows throughout the year. Its main theater of 400 seats hosts performances by various groups from

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

and local artists. The ethnographic museum also houses a collection of traditional costumes, textiles and other crafts, unique to the Erseka region. In the center of the town is an

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

, work of Odhise Paskali, which dates 28 November 1938.

Economy

Agriculture

Erseka-Kolonja is known for its

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

production throughout Albania. Erseka is also renowned for its woodcrafts, stone carving and carpet weaving tradition.

Sports

The

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club KS Gramozi Ersekë founded in 1927 and its stadium is Ersekë Stadium with a capacity of 10,000 and 2,000 seats. The club has had a successful history in its past. It went to the Albanian Superliga at the end of 2008–09 season defeating Bylis Ballsh 5–2 in the playoff. In 2010 they played against

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

for the Taçi Oil cup in Tirane end up 2-1 for

Notable people

* Petro Dode, communist politician * Thoma Kaçori, politician * Shahin Kolonja, nationalist * Anastas Lula, communist politician of World War II * Petro Nini Luarasi, clergyman and nationalist activist * Skender Petro Luarasi, writer * Sevasti Qiriazi-Dako, educator * Agim Qirjaqi, actor * Fehim Zavalani, journalist and nationalist * Tajar Zavalani, journalist * Dhori Qirjazi, poet * Kastriot Frashëri, Hon. publicist, researcher, founder of civil society and Lawyer * Uran Butka, MP, researcher and democrat politician * Ylli Rakipi, journalist * Bardhyl Tahiri, KLA and NLA soldier

References

External links

Erseka
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erseke Former municipalities in Korçë County Administrative units of Kolonjë, Korçë Towns in Albania