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Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara,
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: Χειμάρρα,
romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
: ''Himárra'') is a town in Southern
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 ...
along the
Albanian Riviera The Albanian Riviera (, ), also popularly known as Bregu, is a coastline along the north-eastern Ionian Sea in the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing the districts of Sarandë and Vlorë in south-western Albania. It forms an important section of t ...
and part of the
Vlorë County Vlorë County (; ) is one of the 12 counties of Albania with the city of Vlorë being the county capital. The county spans and has a total population of 146,681 people as of 2023. It borders the counties of Fier and Gjirokastër, as well as th ...
. It is the largest settlement and the seat of the municipality of
Himarë Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara; , ''Chimara'' or Χειμάρρα, ''Cheimarra'') is a Municipalities of Albania, municipality and region in Vlorë County, southern Albania. The municipality has a total area of and consists of the administrative ...
. The town is populated predominantly by an ethnic
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
community.


History

In antiquity the region was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the
Chaonians The Chaonians () were an Ancient Greeks, ancient Greek people that inhabited the historical Epirus, region of Epirus which today is part of northwestern Greece and southern Albania.; ; ; ; ; Together with the Molossians and the Thesprotians, the ...
. "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 Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
''χείμαρρος'' (''cheimarros''), meaning "torrent". The Chaonian castle in Himara appears to belong to the set of the earliest Chaonian fortifications. Its ancient walls probably date to the 5th-4th centuries BC. In antiquity the town was known for its mineral springs. Nearby Panormοs, must have served as one of the town's harbors considering that the beaches of Spile and Livadh in the open bay below the town are unsuitable for sheltering vessels during marine storms. 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. Himarë is recorded in the Ottoman ''
defter A ''defter'' was a type of tax register and land cadastre in the Ottoman Empire. Etymology The term is derived from Greek , literally 'processed animal skin, leather, fur', meaning a book, having pages of goat parchment used along with papyrus ...
'' of 1583 as a settlement in the Sanjak of Delvina with a total of 130 households. The anthroponymy recorded predominantly belonged to the
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
onomastic sphere (e.g., ''Gjok Dhim Gjini'', ''Dedë Kola'', ''Gjika Gjoni'', ''Lika Kondi''), however, personal names reflecting broader Orthodox Christian anthroponymy are also recorded – including Greek (e.g., ''Thanas Jorgonllu''). The Italian missionary Giuseppe Schirò wrote in 1722 that the town of Himarë was inhabited by Greeks. In the Ottoman census of 1895 in the town of Himara around 220 houses were counted, being also the center of a
Nahiyah A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level divisi ...
that consisted of seven settlements. After World War II the town was not included by the state system of minority schooling inside the Albanian state, and as such from 1946 until 2006, there had been no education in the Greek language.


Old and new town

The town of Himara consists of the old settlement (Fshat) located at the top of a hill overlooking the Ionian Sea which coincides with the location of the ancient settlement of Chimarra. The modern settlement is located on the adjacent coast centered on Spilë. It is the administrative and financial center of the municipality of Himarë. Commercial services, schools, a health center and organized sports facilities are also located in Spilë. The settlement was developed during the Socialist Post-World War II era.Triantis, 2016, p. 98


Monuments

One of the main attractions is the
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
located in the old town of Himara. A number of Orthodox churches are located there among them Panagia Kassopitra, Saint Sergios and Bakchos (11th century), Saint Michael (13th century). and the All Saints.


Beaches

The beaches that are found in the town of Himara or directly linked to the town are located in Spile, Potam, Llaman and Livadhi.


Demographics

In 1990 the population of the town was estimated to 5,224: The old town ''Fshat and Shen Mehill'' with 1,595 was inhabited by a Greek community, while Spile with 3,629 inhabitants was predominantly Greek including also less numerous communities of Albanian Christians and Muslims (the latter c. 1,000).Kallivretakis, Leonidas (1995).
Η ελληνική κοινότητα της Αλβανίας υπό το πρίσμα της ιστορικής γεωγραφίας και δημογραφίας [The Greek Community of Albania in terms of historical geography and demography
" In Nikolakopoulos, Ilias, Kouloubis Theodoros A. & Thanos M. Veremis (eds). ''Ο Ελληνισμός της Αλβανίας [The Greeks of Albania]''. University of Athens. p. 51. "KOMUNA HIMARA/KOINOTHTA ΧΕΙΜΑΡΑΣ ΧΙΜΑΡΑ: 1. FSHAT & SHEN MEHILL 1595 E, 2. 2. SPILE, 3629 E + AX + A M (1000)"
In 2005 according to the Albanian Civil Registry offices the town has a population of 5,418.


Language

The locals of the town of Himara mainly use the local Greek dialect and partly a
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. Having lived in present-day Albania, the local ethnic Greeks are fairly balanced bilinguals in both their local Greek and Albanian varieties. Although the town of Himara is geographically located on the northern borders of the Greek-speaking world in the Balkans, local Greek speech in the town is classified as a part of the southern Modern Greek. However, the speech of the adjacent villages of
Palasë Palasë ( or ''Palasa''; , ''Palasa'') also Paljasa () (), is a village in Himarë municipality (13 kilometres from the town), Vlorë County, southern Albania. It is located near the Llogara National Park and next to the Ionian coast on the Alb ...
and
Dhërmi Dhërmi ( sq-definite, Dhërmiu; , ''Drymádes'') is a village in Vlorë County, Albania. It is part of the municipality of Himarë. The village lies 42 kilometers south of the city of Vlorë and 69 kilometers north of the southern city of Sarand� ...
is classified as semi-northern Greek.


Notable people

* Christos Bekas,
Greek Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...
general in the
Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...
(1821–1830) *
Vasil Bollano Vasil Bollano (, ''Vasilis Bolanos'', born July 7, 1958) was the chairman of Omonoia (organization), Omonoia and representative of the Greeks in Albania, Greeks living in Albania. History In 2007, Bollano asserted that the Greek community of Alb ...
, former mayor of Himarë and President of the organization of the Greek minority, " Omonoia" *
Pyrros Dimas Pyrros Dimas (; ; born 13 October 1971) is a Greek politician and former weightlifter. He is currently the technical director for USA Weightlifting, having taken that position in June 2017. Dimas has also been involved in politics as a member o ...
, Greek weight-lifting athlete * Christos Armandos Gezos, Greek novelist and poet * Kostas Kaznezis, Greek Army general in the Greek War of IndependenceBanac, Ackerman, Szporluk, Vucinich, 1981
p. 46
/ref> *
Zachos Milios Zachos Milios (; 1805–1860) was a Greek revolutionary of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1830) and officer of the Hellenic army. He was the brother of the distinguished general and politician Spyros Milios. Greek War of Independence Mil ...
(1805–1860),
Greek Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...
officer and revolutionary *
Sotiris Ninis Sotiris Ninis (; ; born 3 April 1990) is a Greek professional footballer who most recently played as an attacking midfielder or a right winger for A.E. Kifisia F.C. Ninis was formerly a member of the Greece national team. Early life Ninis wa ...
(born 3 April 1990), Greek footballer * Spyromilios (1800–1880), Greek Army general and politician *
Spyros Spyromilios Spyros Spyromilios (; 1864–1930) was a Greek Gendarmerie officer and guerrilla fighter who took part in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, the Greek Struggle for Macedonia, and the Balkan Wars. In 1914 he proclaimed the Autonomy of his native tow ...
(1864–1930),
Greek Gendarmerie The Hellenic Gendarmerie (, ''Elliniki Chorofylaki'') was the national gendarmerie and military police (until 1951) force of Greece. History 19th century The Greek Gendarmerie was established after the enthronement of Otto of Greece, King Ot ...
officer, declared the region's autonomy (1914) * Pyrros Spyromilios (1913–1961), Greek Navy officer * Neço Muko (1899–1934), Traditional Albanian music Singer and Composer * Fredis Beleris (born 9 August 1972) is a
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
politician, a
Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
for Greece


See also

* Himara *
Greeks in Albania The Greeks in Albania are ethnic Greeks who live in or originate from areas within modern Albania. They form the largest minority group in the country. They are mostly concentrated in the south of the country, in the areas of the northern part ...
*
Tourism in Albania Tourism in Albania has been a key element of the country's economic activity and is constantly developing. Albania is characterized by its rich archaeological and cultural heritage dating back to the classical period when Illyrians and Ancie ...


References


Bibliography

* * * *


External links

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