Kolonjë District
The circle Kolonja (Albanian: Rrethi i Kolonjës ) is one of the 36 administrative districts of Albania. Capital is Erseka. The circle with an area of 805 km ² belongs to Qark Korçë.
In Kolonja 11,070 inhabitants ( 2011) live. Ethnic minorities - especially Vlachs and Greeks - make up about 10 percent of them. Around 50 percent of the population professed Bektashi; third is orthodox.
Geography
Kolonja is very remote in the Southeast to the Greek border in a triangle between the river Osum, the mountain Gramoz (Greek: Grammos ) and the Valley of Vjosa in the south. As part of the Pindos the landscape is situated high and mountainous. In hardly accessible Osum Valley the lowest point is 550 m. From there, the landscape is rapidly increasing in the level up to 2,520 high Gramoz. Only in the outermost border regions of the circle to the south the landscape falls into some deep valleys below 500 m. Erseka applies with a height of 1,020 m is the highest district capital of the country and Leskovik is also at about 900 m. Winters are correspondingly hard and cold with icy northern winds in Kolonja.
The name referred Kolonja especially the more northern part of the area, the valley at the headwaters of Osum. When partially also called plateau region with deeply incised river valleys is the foundation of an ancient lake. The southern part of the district includes several valleys of tributaries of Vjosa. The transitions from valley to valley are usually about 1,000.
In Kolonja circle there are still many forests, where even wild predators such as wolves are common.
Economy
The population, the majority living in the country is heavily dependent on agriculture and forestry. There are also fish farms. In the future, the tourism could play a significant role when a modest infrastructure for hikers and other adventure travelers would be built, who want to explore the unspoiled nature.
The roads within and after Kolonja are very rudimentary. As in Osum Valley of Berat by Kolonja there is no road, the circle is only about Korce (from Erseka 45 km) or Tepelenë to achieve (from Erseka 130 km). From Leskovik to the new border crossing to Greece in Vjosa Valley there are less than 30 km.
History
In Kolonja several burial mounds were found. The most important point in the territory was the Ottoman period Leskovik. By the demarcation but lost many inhabitants of their lands. During the Second World War Kolonja was only combat area of Greek and Italian troops, later a center of anti-fascist resistance. As a reprisal, the German army has destroyed several villages: To deter the population from supporting the guerrillas, led the Wehrmacht a so-called atonement ratio a: for every German killed 100 Albanians were to be killed. The " Albanian Lidice " - - In applying this rule, the village was destroyed and killed Borova numerous inhabitants.
Since the end of the communist regime in Albania, many inhabitants of the district - especially young men - emigrated to Greece.