Podë, Albania
Podë | |
|---|---|
Podë | |
| Coordinates: 40°17′N 20°37′E / 40.283°N 20.617°E | |
| Country | Albania |
| County | Korçë |
| Municipality | Kolonjë |
| Administrative unit | Qendër Leskovik |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Podë is a village in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It is located between Ersekë and Leskovik. Today, it is a depopulated village with only 11 houses. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Kolonjë.[1]
History
The earliest known reference to Podë appears in Ottoman cadastral records (defter) from the 15th century, when the village was listed as part of the Sanjak of Albania.[2] At that time Podë was a small rural settlement, whose inhabitants were recorded for taxation under the Ottoman timar system.
In the early 19th century, the village became notable as the birthplace of Zylyftar Poda, a local leader who emerged during the Albanian uprisings of the 1830s against Ottoman rule. His activities brought Podë into the historical record and linked it to wider resistance movements in the region.[3]
During the late Ottoman period and into the 20th century, Podë remained a small mountain community. Wars, economic hardship, and later communist collectivization contributed to depopulation, as families left in search of work in nearby towns or abroad.[4]
Following the fall of communism in the 1990s, Podë experienced rapid decline. The 2011 census recorded only a dozen houses being inhabited
Culture and landmarks
Podë lies on the eastern slopes of the Gramos Mountains, an area noted for its alpine pastures & traditional stone architecture.[5]
Near the village is the Shpella e Podës (Podë Cave), a karstic formation that has been surveyed by speleological teams and is included in national listings of natural monuments of Albania.[6]
The village retains examples of traditional stone-built houses typical of Kolonjë, although many are now abandoned. Seasonal return by emigrant families continues during the summer months, maintaining cultural links with the area.[7]
Podë is a majority Orthodox Christian village.[8]
Notable people
- Zylyftar Poda, leader of the Albanian revolt of 1832–1833 against Ottoman Empire
References
- ^ "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). pp. 6372–6373. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ İnalcık, Halil (1997). Halil İnalcık and Donald Quataert (ed.). An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire. Cambridge University Press. pp. 89–91. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
- ^ "The unknown story of captain Zylyftar Poda". Memorie.al. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
- ^ King, Russell (2003). "Migration and Development in Albania" (PDF). University of Southampton. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
- ^ Kola, Paulin (2003). The Search for Greater Albania. Hurst & Company. pp. 47–48. ISBN 9781850656646.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - ^ "Monumente natyrore të mbrojtura në qarkun e Korçës". Agjencia Kombëtare e Zonave të Mbrojtura. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
- ^ De Rapper, Gilles (2009). Religion in Post-Communist Albania: Muslims, Christians and the New Religious Landscape. Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History. pp. 274–276. doi:10.1353/kri.0.0025.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ Clayer, Nathalie (1996). "God in the 'Land of the Mercedes' – The Religious Communities in Albania since 1990". Religion, State & Society. 24 (3): 233–244. doi:10.1080/09637499608431834.