Ostren

Ostren (Macedonian: Острени/Ostreni) is a former municipality in the Dibër County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë.[1] The population at the 2011 census was 3,034.[2] It consists of 13 villages.

Ostren
Municipal unit
Ostren
Coordinates: 41°25′N 20°28′E
Country	Albania
County	Dibër
Municipality	Bulqizë
Population  (2011)
• Municipal unit	3,034
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Education

Macedonian language courses operate in Ostren to cater for the villages in which Macedonian-speakers form a majority.[3]

History

Ostren is locally known for the activist Sadik Elez Koçi[4], who participated in different important Albanian meetings like the Congress of Manastir and created warbands during the Albanian rebellions, firstly against the Ottoman Empire and then against Bulgaria during the World War I.

In 1900, Vasil Kanchov gathered and compiled statistics on demographics in the area and reported that Ostren i Madh was inhabited by 500 Slavic Muslims and 30 Slavic Christians, while Ostren i Vogël was inhabited by 400 Slavic Muslims and 78 Slavic Christians.[5] Of the surrounding villages, Lladomëricë, Radovesh and Tërbaç were entirely Slavic Muslim, Tuçep was mainly Slavic Muslim and Pasinkë was mainly Albanian Muslim,[5] while the other villages of the modern municipality were located too far West to be included in Kanchov's statistics.

In 2020, an ethnic Macedonian was elected as an administrator of Ostren.[6]

Demographics

Villages located in the Ostren administrative unit contain the following populations: Lejçan, Lladomericë and Tuçep are inhabited solely by Macedonian Muslim (Torbeš); Radovesh, Kojavec, Orzhanovë are inhabited solely by a Slavic speaking population which contain Macedonian Muslims.[7][8] Okshtun i Madh, Okshtun i Vogël and Tërbaç have some Macedonian Muslims residing there while Pasinkë, Ostren i Madh and Ostren i Vogël are inhabited by an Albanian population that dominates demographically in the villages that also contain significant populations of Muslim Macedonians and Orthodox Macedonians.[7][8] The Muslim Macedonian and Orthodox Macedonian population of the area are speakers of a south Slavic language[7] (Macedonian).[8] The village of Oreshnjë is also part of the administrative unit. Haxhi Pirushi, president of the association "Prosperitet Gollo Borda" works on preserving the traditions of the Bulgarian minority in Albania. He claims that 23 out of 27 villages speak originally Bulgarian (Ostren included) or an old Bulgarian Slavic language and 17 of these villages are completely Bulgarian, while the others are mixed.[9] In 22 October 1922 a Consulate was opened between Albania and Bulgaria about the Gollobordo issue in order to connect the minority in Albania with the Bulgarian origins[10]

References

1. Law nr. 115/2014 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
2. 2011 census results Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
3. Macedonians from Golo Brdo begin to learn the Macedonian language
4. Elez Koçi
5. Vasil Kanchov (1901). Macedonia: Ethnography and Statistics -- Debar kaza. Accessed 4 July 2017
6. Честитки до Тола и Османи за нивниот избор за администратори на Острени и Требиште
7. Steinke, Klaus; Ylli, Xhelal (2008). Die slavischen Minderheiten in Albanien (SMA): Golloborda - Herbel - Kërçishti i Epërm. Teil 2. Munich: Verlag Otto Sagner. p. 10. ISBN 9783866880351. "Heute umfaßt das Gebiet von Golloborda in Albanien 22 Dörfer, die verwaltungstechnisch auf drei verschiedene Gemeinden aufgeteilt sind: 1. Die Gemeinde Ostren besteht aus dreizehn Dörfern, und Südslavisch wird in den folgenden neun Dörfern gesprochen: Ostreni i Madh (Golemo Ostreni/Ostreni Golemo), Kojavec (Kojovci), Lejçan (Lešničani), Lladomerica (Ladomerica/Ladimerica/Vlademerica), Ostreni i Vogël (Malo Ostreni/Malastreni/Ostreni Malo), Orzhanova (Oržanova), Radovesh (Radoveš/Radoeš/Radoešt), Tuçep (Tučepi) und Pasinka (Pasinki). 2. Die Gemeinde von Trebisht umfaßt die vier Dörfer Trebisht (Trebišta), Gjinovec (G'inovec/G'inec), Klenja (Klen'e) und Vërnica (Vărnica), und in allen wird Südslavisch gesprochen. 3. Die übrigen Dörfer von Golloborda gehören zur Gemeinde Stebleva, und zwar Stebleva, Zabzun, Borova, Sebisht, Llanga. Südslavisch wird in Stebleva (Steblo) sowie von drei Familien in Sebisht (Sebišta) gesprochen. Wie aus den bisherigen Ausführungen und den Erhebungen vor Ort hervorgeht, gibt es nur noch in fünfzehn der insgesamt Dörfer, die heute zu Golloborda gehören, slavophone Einwohner. Die Zahl der Dörfer in Golloborda wird manchmal auch mit 24 angegeben. Dann zählt man die Viertel des Dorfes Trebisht, und zwar Trebisht-Bala, Trebisht-Çelebia und Trebisht-Muçina separat."
8. Vidoeski, Božidar (1998). Dijalektite na makedonskiot jazik. Vol. 1. Makedonska akademija na naukite i umetnostite. ISBN 9789989649509. p. 309. "Во западна Македонија исламизирано македонско население живее во неколку географски региони на македонско-албанската пограничје:... Голо Брдо (Врмница, Владимирци, Гиновци, Клење, Лешничани, Љуболези, Големо и Мало Острени, Окштун, Отишани, Пасинки, Радовиште, Себишча, Српетово, Стеблево, Тучепи, Торбач, Џепишта)"; p 339. "Во повеќето од спомнативе села живее население - со македонски и со албански мачин јазик. Албанското население доминира во северните голобрдски села (Себишта, Пасинки, Врмница, Големо и Мало Острени). Селата: Лешничани, Требиште, Српетово, Торбач, Љуболези, Владимирица и Тучепи се населени со Македонски муслимани (Торбеши), а во Себишта, Требиште, Г. и М. Острени живее мешано население - православни и Торбеши."
9. https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/aree/Albania/Albania-le-minoranze-contese-24718
10. http://www.mapo.al/a-ka-tipare-substanciale-ne-pasurine-etno-kulturore-te-pakicave-te-vogla-ne-shqiperi-golloborda/