Dolna Gorica

Dolna Gorica (Albanian: Dollna Goricë, Macedonian and Bulgarian:[1][2][3] Долна Горица), formerly Goricë e Vogël, is a village on the western shore of Lake Prespa in the Pustec Municipality which is officially recognised as a Macedonian minority zone[4] located in the Korçë County in Albania.[5] According to Bulgarian sources, including research by a Bulgarian scientist from Albania, the local inhabitants are Bulgarians.[6][7]

Dolna Gorica Dollna Goricë Goricë e Vogël Долна Горица
Village
Dolna Gorica and Lake Prespa
Dolna Gorica
Coordinates: 40°52′37.92″N 20°55′30″E
Country	Albania
County	Korçë
Municipality	Pustec
Municipal unit	Pustec
Population  (2007)
• Total	550
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

History

A survey in the late 19th century found Dolna Gorica to consist of 75 houses and 67 male Bulgarian Orthodox residents.[8] In 1900, Vasil Kanchov gathered and compiled statistics on demographics in the area and reported that the village of Dolna Goritsa was inhabited by about 42 Bulgarian Christians.[9]

In February 1996, the village hosted a conference attended by officials from the Republic of Macedonia on the subject of the ethnic Macedonian minority in Albania.[10] In 2013, the village's official name was changed from "Goricë e Vogël" to "Dolna Gorica".[11]

Demographics

A 2007 estimate put the village's population at 550.[12]

Demographics

Year	Population
1900	42
1926	511 (with Gorna Gorica)
1945	149
1960	108
1969	210
1979	271
1989	253
2000	364[13]

Bilingual sign in Dolna Gorica, written in both Macedonian and Albanian

Culture

In 2002, a library opened in the village consisting of primarily Macedonian-language books.[14]

A monument commemorating the ethnic Macedonian refugees of the Greek Civil War was unveiled in the village in May, 2013.[15]

Dolna Gorica is home to the annual "Day of Wine" event, occurring each December.[16]

References

1. German Academic Exchange Service: Humboldt Balkan Cosmos - Dolna Gorica.
2. General survey of the nominal system of the Bulgarians in Mala Prespa — Albania. (Bg.) p. 170; in State and Problems of Bulgarian Onomastics, 2010 / Vol 11 / Issue 1, pp. 169-176.
3. Albania officially recognizes Bulgarian minority. Xinhua| 2017-10-13.
4. https://minorityrights.org/minorities/macedonians/
5. "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
6. Бело Раки (Belo, Raki). Селищни имена в Мала Преспа - Албания, в: Македонски преглед, ХХХ, № 3, с. 134.
7. Пашова, Анастасия. Българите в района на Корча и Мала Преспа (Албания) - съвременна картина, Балканистичен Форум, 2005, №1-3, с. 113-129 (Pashova, Anastasija. Bulgarians in the region of Korcha and Mala Prespa (Albania) nowadays, Balcanistic forum, 2005, issue No: 1-3, pp. 113-129.)
8. Българите в Албания I част Archived 2009-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
9. Васил Кънчов. „Македония. Етнография и статистика“. София, 1900, стр. 242. (Macedonia: Ethnography and Statistics, p. 242. Accessed 13 May 2018 (in Bulgarian)
10. Vickers, Miranada; Pettifer, James (2000). Albania: From Anarchy to a Balkan Identity. New York, NY: New York University Press. p. 205. ISBN 9780814788059. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
11. "Pas Pustecit, edhe 7 fshatra të Korçës me emertime maqedonase" (in Albanian). Info Arkiv. 17 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-08-05. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
12. Бело Раки (Belo, Raki). Селищни имена в Мала Преспа - Албания, в: Македонски преглед, ХХХ, №3, стр. 135.
13. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2008-04-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. ""The Temple of the Book" – Window towards the Fatherland". Culture.in.mk. 4 March 2002. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
15. Janevska, Ubavka (7 May 2013). "Во село Горица поставен споменик за егзодусот на македонските бегалци". Kanal 5 (in Macedonian). Retrieved 12 May 2014.
16. "Мала Преспа организира манифестација "Ден на виното"" (in Macedonian). Lider. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2014.