Irlandos: /* Economy */

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Irlandos at 16:55, January 9, 2006

2006-01-09T16:55:34Z

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'''Korytsa''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: ''Κορυτσά'', ''Korytsá''; Albanian: ''Korçë'' or ''Korça'',Italian: ''Corizza'') is a major city in south-eastern Albania, located at near the border with [[Greece]]. It has a population of around 60,000 people ([[2003]] estimate), making it the fifth largest city in Albania. It stands on a plateau some 850 m (2,800 feet) above sea level, surrounded by the Morava Mountains.

==History==

Korytsa was founded in the [[13th century]] as an Albanian feudal estate. In [[1484]], a mosque - which still stands - was built there by the local lord, Koja Mirahor Ilyas Bey, to commemorate his service in Ottoman military campaigns. The community gradually grew into a thriving centre of commerce and trade, attracting a mixed population of Albanians, [[Greeks]] and Slavs.

In [[1805]], the French traveller François Pouqueville noted that the city had a population of some 1,300 familes, two thirds of whom were Orthodox. It had a notably progressive outlook; the first school teaching in the Albanian language was established there in [[1887]], followed by Albania's first school for girls in [[1891]].

Ottoman rule over Korytsa persisted until [[1912]] but the city's proximity to Greece, who claimed the entire Orthodox population as Greek, led to its being fiercely contested in the [[First Balkan War]] of [[1912]]-[[1913]]. The city was occupied by Greek forces on [[December 6]], [[1912]]. Its incorporation into Albania in [[1913]] was controversial, as [[Greece]] claimed it as part of a region that they called "[[Northern Epirus]]". However, in accordance with the Florence Protocol in 1914 the city was included in the newly formed Albanian state.

Greek forces returned to occupy the city from [[July 10]], [[1914]] during the early part of the [[First World War]]. It was then taken by the Austro-Hungarians, then by the Greeks again and finally by France, which occupied Korytsa between [[1916]]-[[1920]]. It was ultimately awarded to Albania by the International Boundary Commission which determined the country's post-war borders.

During the inter-war period, the city became a hotbed of Communist agitation. Albania's future dictator, Enver Hoxha, lived there and was both a pupil and a teacher at the town's French school. Korytsa's underground Communist movement became the nucleus of Hoxha's Albanian Party of Labour.

Korytsa was again occupied by Greece between November [[1940]] - April [[1941]], following Fascist Italy's annexation of Albania and the [[Second World War|Greco-Italian War]]. Nazi Germany took over the occupation after Italy's withdrawal from the war.

During the occupation, the city became a major centre of Communist-inspired resistence to the Axis occupation of Albania. The establishment of the Albanian Party of Labour – the Communist Party – was formally preclaimed in Korytsa in [[1943]]. Albanian rule was restored in [[1944]] following the withdrawal of German forces.

After the war, the area remained a bastion of support for the Hoxha régime, which rewarded it with major investments in the local economy such as the building of a major power station and engineering industries. Much of the surrounding region, which had been marshy, was drained to make it a major agricultural production area. Its demographic profile changed significantly during this period, with the city growing in size. It is still ethnically mixed, with a population of Greeks, Albanians, Vlachs, Slavs and Roma.

==Culture==
Korçë has been an important religious centre for [[Orthodox Christians]] and Muslims for centuries. It is the seat of an Orthodox metropolitan bishop and also possesses a large [[15th century]] mosque. During the Ottoman period it became one of the centres of the growing Albanian identity, housing the first Albanian school.

==Economy==
During the [[20th century]], Korçë gained a substantial industrial capacity in addition to its historic role as a commercial and agricultural centre. The plateau on which the city stands is highly fertile and is one of Albania's main wheat-growing areas. Local industries include the manufacture of knitwear, rugs, textiles, flour-milling, brewing, and sugar-refining. Deposits of lignite coal are mined in the mountains nearby.

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	During the [[20th century]], Korçë gained a substantial industrial capacity in addition to its historic role as a commercial and agricultural centre. The plateau on which the city stands is highly fertile and is one of Albania's main wheat-growing areas. Local industries include the manufacture of knitwear, rugs, textiles, flour-milling, brewing, and sugar-refining. Deposits of lignite coal are mined in the mountains nearby.		During the [[20th century]], Korçë gained a substantial industrial capacity in addition to its historic role as a commercial and agricultural centre. The plateau on which the city stands is highly fertile and is one of Albania's main wheat-growing areas. Local industries include the manufacture of knitwear, rugs, textiles, flour-milling, brewing, and sugar-refining. Deposits of lignite coal are mined in the mountains nearby.
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Korytsa - Revision history

Irlandos: /* Economy */

Irlandos at 16:55, January 9, 2006