Misplaced Pages

#747252

38-525: In May 1942, the first Northern Epirote resistance groups appeared in the area of Delvinë led by two locals and former officers of the Greek army: Spyridon Lytos and Ioannis Videlis. Soon several resistance groups were formed by the local Greek population all over southern Albania. They were operating in the regions: Pogon , Lunxhëri , Zagorie , Riza, Himara , Vlorë , Përmet , Leskovik and Korçë . In June 1942 these groups were organized under one leadership and

76-560: A Greek revolt broke out, with a unit of 700 revolutionaries, mostly Epirotes from the Ionian Islands , taking control of Sarandë and occupied Delvinë. However, it was suppressed by the Ottoman troops, who burned 20 villages of the region. In September 1912, the Greek Band of Ioannis Poutetsis was defeated by Albanian groups and a Turkish detachment in the vicinity of Delvinë, and Poutetsis

114-579: A car bomb destroyed a car for the Albanian ambassador in Greece (but no one was injured), and on 10 April 1994, when 2 Albanian officers were killed in a border post on the Greek-Albanian border, responsibility was claimed by a far-right paramilitary organization which had the same name. Days later the Albanian authorities arrest six ethnic Greek militants on charges of promoting separatism and suspect ties with

152-400: A good cistern, an ammunition depot and a small mosque. In the city there were about 100 brick-built houses. These stood relatively far apart and nearly every house had a tower. He noted that a town wall was missing. There were several mosques, three medreses and about 80 stores, as well as an open marketplace. Çelebi also observed that during this time, all the inhabitants of Delvinë spoke

190-640: A significant number of the Greek community. According to the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities , the 2011 census is unreliable, inaccurate, and incompatible with established standards for the protection of national minorities. As of 2014, there are 134 students in the municipality of Delvinë who are enrolled in Greek-language education. Until

228-463: Is a town and a municipality in Vlorë County , southern Albania , 16 kilometres (10 miles) northeast of Sarandë . It was formed in the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Delvinë and Vergo , which became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Delvinë. The population of the municipal unit Delvinë at the 2023 census was 4,952 and of the municipality

266-525: Is little local employment apart from that provided by the state, and Delvinë benefits little from the tourist boom in Sarandë. The Albanian toponym Delvinë ( Albanian definite form : Delvina ) is connected to the Albanian dele , delmë , meaning 'sheep'. Linguist Xhelal Ylli translates Delvinë as 'white sheep'. In Greek it is known as Δέλβινο , Delvino and in Turkish as Delvine . In antiquity

304-500: The Codex of the church of Delvinë written in Greek noted that the Muslim population had increased and dwelt in quarters inhabited by Orthodox Christians , had confiscated their churches and converted them into mosques , thereby forcing the non-Islamized Christians to move to other quarters of the town. The Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi visited Delvinë around 1670 and gave information about

342-642: The Halveti order , which was spread towards Albania by Helvacı Yakub Efendi around 1530. In the Xhermahalle section of Delvina a Bektashi tekke can be found. Monuments like the citadel, the mosque, the Halveti tekke, the Bektashi tekke, and the hamam , indicate Delvina's great importance in the Ottoman period. In 1847, when an Albanian revolt broke out, 500 revolutionaries led by Zenel Gjoleka took over Delvinë. In 1878

380-638: The Protocol of Corfu , on July 26, 1914. Delvinë then became part of the short-lived Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus . Soon after the Balkan Wars and during the World War I much of Delvinë was burned out by Greek brigands. In World War II , in the initial stage of the Greco-Italian War (1940–1941) the Greek forces of the 3rd division marched Delvinë and took Sarandë in southern Albania . During

418-467: The socialist period , Delvinë was a major population centre. However, much of the fighting in the 1997 Albanian civil unrest took place there, and the city is now depopulated, like most of rural Albania, and many buildings still show visible signs of the war. In the early 19th century during the rule of Ali Pasha , British diplomat William Martin Leake arrived in town on December 24, 1804. According to him,

SECTION 10

#1732869310748

456-526: The Albanian Embassy in Athens was claimed in its name. On 10 April 1994, several gunmen crossed into Albania from Greece and stormed a border guard facility in the village of Peshkëpi, killing two soldiers and seriously wounding three others before returning across the Greek border. Albanian authorities alleged that the perpetrators were dressed in Greek military uniforms and were speaking Greek. In Greece,

494-669: The Albanian language while having no knowledge of the Greek language. In an ecclesiastical entry of 1730, the Codex of the church of Delvinë noted that some of the Christian Greek clergy had linguistic difficulties in administrating their congregations, as there were Christian villagers living within the region of Delvinë who were Albanian-speaking. The local diaspora in Venice as part of the Venetian Greek community's Brotherhood of Saint Nicholas financially supported various initiatives for

532-566: The Allies and its place in Albania was taken by German troops. Epirote groups were able to take the initiative for a short-time period. During the period before Italy's surrender until the communist party prevailed (1943–1944) vicious fighting occurred between MAVI and combined armed groups of Germans and Albanian nationalists of Balli Kombëtar (Ballists) The results were devastating, many Ballist's bands looted and burned villages in their paths, shooting

570-671: The Greek Intelligence services. However, there is no clear link between the two organizations. According to press reports the World War II resistance organization, probably disbanded during the 1940s. The group claims responsibility for a car bombing in the Albanian embassy in Attica , Greece, which left no victims. Delvin%C3%AB Delvinë ( Albanian : Delvinë or Delvina , Greek : Δέλβινο , romanized :  Delvino )

608-545: The Italian Occupation Forces, accusing them that they supported various activities of the Albanian resistance groups against the local Greek population. He became finally targeted by Albanian communists. Sachinis was assassinated on November 17, 1943, when the Albanian communist party raided Gjirokastër In February 1944 the regions that were under the control of the Northern Epirote resistance were taken over by

646-539: The MAVI (also called EAOVI) was formed. The leading spirit was Vasileios Sachinis , a native from Douvian ( Dropull ). The organization was a branch of the right-wing EDES that operated in Greece and its headquarters moved from place to place in southern Albania. Widespread action was taken by the Northern Epirote resistance in December 1942, when attacks on Italian controlled frontier posts and gendarmerie stations increased. In

684-498: The Northern Epirote resistance, decided to join the communist party only in specific attacks against the Axis, provided that the latter will recognize the autonomy of the region in the post-war period. Although the Albanian communist leaders agreed and assurances of the British allied mission were given, they secretly marked Vasilis Sahinis for liquidation. In September 1943 Italy surrendered to

722-550: The Northern Epirote resistance. Moreover, with the help of Balli Kombëtar bands, occupation forces outlined plans against villages and towns of Epirote sympathies, in order to demoralize them. The British Mission proposed that MAVI and the Albanian communist party, LNC, should collaborate to form a stronger force against the Axis and Albanian collaborationists ( Balli Kombëtar ), and arranged several meetings near Gyrokaster in August–September 1943. On August 8, representatives of

760-477: The Northern Epirus Liberation Front (MAVI) claimed responsibility both the next day and some months later. Stohos, a Greek nationalist weekly newspaper, regularly reported in a proud way about the incident. On the other hand, the Greek government flatly denied any responsibility in the event and, in the first couple of days, even excluded the possibility that any Greeks could have been involved in

798-593: The Partisans of FNC. The last recorded action was during October 1944 when an Epirote band ambushed German troops and captured their officers. However, due to diplomatic failure of the British mission and unprovoked actions of the communist resistance (of Enver Hoxha ), MAVI was doomed. In Axis-supported Balli Kombëtar attacks and crimes against villages and towns, over 2,000 Greeks were killed, 5,000 imprisoned, and 2,000 taken hostages to concentration camps. Moreover, 15,000 homes, schools and church were destroyed. In 1983,

SECTION 20

#1732869310748

836-659: The Second World War, a small Jewish community existed in Delvinë. It consisted of Jews from Spain who had come to Delvinë when under Ottoman rule and had close connections to the large Jewish community in Ioannina . After the war, nearly all the Jews emigrated to Israel. The first school in Delvina, a Greek-language school, was founded in 1537, when the town was still under Venetian control, and

874-633: The city in his travel book. He reported that in the Middle Ages Delvinë was in the hands of the Spanish and later the Venetians. In his own time, Ajaz Mehmet Pasha – a native Albanian – governed the Sanjak-bey of Delvinë. The sanjak covered 24 zeamets and 155 timars . There was a Turkish garrison, whose command on the castle was from Delvinë. According to the description of Çelebi, the small fortress had

912-411: The expansion of Greek education in the 18th century. Thus, in two instances in 1713 and 1749, Spyros Stratis and Spyridon Rizos respectively, notable members of the local diaspora in Venice, financially supported the expansion of the local Greek education system, as well as donating vast sums of money to local Orthodox monasteries and churches. Delvinë was seized by Ali Pashë Tepelena in 1784. Delvinë

950-610: The inhabitants by firing squads, despite gender or age, burning the houses, some of which were locked with their occupants inside and hanging the village priests. In some occasions the operations were observed by German officers. In Moscopole the historic monastery of Saint John Baptist was destroyed as a result of these actions as well as in Bilisht and Leskovik the Balist bands of Safet Butka (an upper rank Ballist) resulted in heavy destruction and executions. Vasilios Sachinis also protested to

988-534: The mid-1980s, an ethnic Greek paramilitary organization named "Northern Epirus Liberation Front" (MAVI), after the Northern Epirote World War II organization, accused the Albanian Government of violating the rights of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania and berated Greece for not doing enough to support the minority. MAVI also called for an "armed struggle" against Albania. A 1983 bombing of

1026-486: The need to secure Ottoman control in the region towards potential Venetian infiltration from nearby Butrinto and to control the rebellious zone of Himara . The county town was Delvinë, yet during the 18th century the local Pasha moved the seat of the sanjak from Delvinë to Gjirokastër . The official name did not change, however, as it was also referred to as the Sanjak of Gjirokastër . In an ecclesiastical entry of 1635,

1064-685: The region was inhabited by the Ancient Greek tribe of the Chaonians . In the Middle Ages , Delvinë was part of the Despotate of Epirus . After defeat of the Slavic tribes in 616, when they unsuccessfully besieged Thessaloniki , one of the tribes ( Vajunites ) migrated to Epirus . In the 14th century Delvinë was ruled by Pietro Bua Shpata lord of Angelokastron and Delvinë according to Karl Hopf . Pietro

1102-459: The regions of Zagorie, Pogon, Delvinë , Sarandë (Vourkos) and Rhize sectors guerilla activity by MAVI was increasing. That period the leaders of the organization received a British mission in the village of Polican. As a result of that activity Italian occupation forces took action, operating with units of the Albanian fascist militia. In March 1943, 160 inhabitants of Korce were sent to concentration camps for suspected underground activities with

1140-423: The total population, Greeks constituted approximately 6% of the total population, Roma 0,25%, with the remainder not being registered. In the 2011 census, Albanian was recorded as the mother tongue of ~95% of the population, ~4% Greek, 0.02% Macedonian During the procedure organizations of the Greek minority and Albanian nationalist parties called for a boycott. Indeed the census results were affected by boycott by

1178-578: The town had an Albanian Muslim majority who had eight or ten small mosques. The Greeks occupied the eastern suburbs called Láka and consisted of about thirty families, ten of whom had the surname Kanáki. The town has a majority population of Albanians alongside communities of Greeks and Balkan Egyptians . According to the Human Rights Watch , Greeks constituted 50% of the town's population in 1989 (~4000 individuals), but this fell to 25% (500) in 1999. According to fieldwork by Kallivretakis (1995),

Northern Epirus Liberation Front - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-411: The town had an Albanian majority and populations of Albanians (Muslims and Christians) and Greeks. The villages Rusan, Vllahat, Bamatata, Kopaçezë, Varfaj were inhabited by Albanians. Greeks lived in two villages of the municipality, Lefterhor and Kakodhik, while Vlachs in one village Vana. The population of the city alone in the 2011 census was 5,754 and the total registered population of the same year

1254-455: Was 14,218. With the administrative addition of Vergo in the municipal reform in 2015, the total resident population of Delvinë municipality was 7,598 and the total registered population was 18,074. Apart from Albanians, according to a 2014 report by the Albanian government, there were 2,300 Greeks in the number of total registered citizens in the municipality of Delvinë. According to the 2011 census, Albanians constituted approximately 66% of

1292-466: Was 6,166. The town is built on a mountain slope. It has a mosque, a Catholic church, a Protestant church, and an Orthodox church. Nearby are the remainders of a medieval castle. To the southwest of the city is the site of ancient Phoenice , which was declared an Archaeological Park in 2005. The town's population consists of a majority of Albanians and a substantial Greek minority. Other communities include Balkan Egyptians and until WWII, Jews. There

1330-523: Was killed. In the early 20th century a çetë (armed band) consisting of 200 activists of the Albanian National Awakening was formed in Delvinë. During the Balkan Wars and the subsequent Ottoman defeat, the Greek Army entered the city on March 3, 1913. In June 1914 the town hosted the constituent assembly of the representatives of Northern Epirus that discussed and finally approved

1368-735: Was maintained by bequests from wealthy local families. Moreover, in 1875 a Greek female school was founded. Peshk%C3%ABpi incident The Peshkëpi incident was the killing of 2 Albanian army officers on 10 April 1994 at 02:40 AM. Eight men, later identified as members of the Northern Epirus Liberation Front , a Greek nationalist paramilitary organization, were involved in an attack on an Albanian army barracks in Peshkëpi, Dropull , Albania in April 1994. Two Albanian border soldiers were killed while sleeping; three were wounded. From

1406-466: Was taken over by Albanian rebels in 1833 causing the Ottoman government to comply to the rebel requests. Some Ottoman inscriptions have been preserved in Delvina. They are written mainly on tombstones, and some graffiti also appear in the porch of the Gjin Aleksi Mosque. They consist of simple verses and invocations made by the pilgrims who visited this important centre. Delvina hosted dervishes of

1444-569: Was the father of Gjin Bua Shpata and Skurra Bua Shpata of the Shpata family , and they were likely born within the regions of Delvinë down to Angelokastron. Pietro is the first noble of the Shpata family mentioned in history and he may have been from the region he controlled including Delvinë but nothing conclusive can be said. The separate Sanjak of Delvina was established in the mid-16th century due to

#747252