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Leskovik

Leskovik
Administrative Unit
The city of Leskovik and the Melesini Mountain
The city of Leskovik and the Melesini Mountain
Leskovik is located in Albania
Leskovik
Leskovik
Coordinates: 40°9′N 20°36′E / 40.150°N 20.600°E / 40.150; 20.600Coordinates: 40°9′N 20°36′E / 40.150°N 20.600°E / 40.150; 20.600
Country Albania Albania
County Korçë
Municipality Kolonjë
Government
 • Administrator Ilia Stefo
Elevation 913 m (2,995 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Administrative Unit 1,525
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal Code 7402
Area Code (0)871

Leskovik is a town and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Kolonjë. It is located right at the Greek-Albanian border. The population at the 2011 census was 1,525. Its maximum population was around 1910, with around 800 people.

The area came under Ottoman rule in the 15th century and became part of the Sanjak of Ioannina. Leskovik was recognized as a town in the early 1800s. It was conceived as a relaxing and retreat center for the Ottoman administration. Leskovik subsequently was elevated from kaza into a sanjak.

Leskovik and the nearby mountain Melesin was the site of a battle in 1831. Greek education was already present in Leskovik at the 1898-1899 school year with one boys' and one girls' school and a total of 100 pupils attending them.

Edith Durham, who traveled the area during the last Ottoman period, would give a description of the town in her book "The Burden of the Balkans" as: "Leskovik is a quiet small place, solid and stony, built much like a North Wales village, but clean and tidy, the population mostly Bektashite Moslems. Some of the Christian women had a small cross tattooed between their eyebrows. There is small church, and a Greek school...". It was a kaza centre in Yanya sanjak of Yanya Vilayet till 1912.

During the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) Ottoman rule came to an end and Leskovik briefly came under the control of the Greek forces. Shortly after the town was visited by an international commission who was responsible to draw the precise borders between the Kingdom of Greece and the newly established Principality of Albania. Leskovik was finally ceded to Albania under the terms of the Protocol of Florence (17 December 1913).

At 21st November 1940, during the Greco-Italian War, units of the II Army Corps of the advancing Greek forces entered Leskovik after breaching the Italian defences. Latter, the town showed a strong support to communist partisans during the Italian and German World War II occupation.


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