Pustec
Pustec (Albanian: Pustec; Macedonian: Пустец, Pustets), formerly known as Liqenas (1973–2013), is a municipality in Korçë County, eastern Albania. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Prespa,[1] it is home to much of the Macedonian minority in Albania.[2]
Pustec Пустец, Liqenas | |
|---|---|
 Pustec and the island of Maligrad | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
  Pustec | |
| Coordinates: 40°47′13″N 20°54′08″E | |
| Country |  |
| County | Korçë |
| Municipality | Pustec |
| Municipal unit | Pustec |
| Elevation | 861 m (2,825 ft) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,120 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Geography
Pustec is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Prespa and is the nearest village to the island of Maligrad. It sits at an elevation of 861 metres (2,825 ft) above sea level.[3] To the northeast, along the lake, lies Shulin, while in the southeast is the village of Leska.
Pustec and the surrounding region lie within the Prespa National Park.
History
The village of Pustec was mentioned in the Slepche Beadroll from XVI century.[4]
The "La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne" survey by Dimitar Mishev (D. Brankov) from 1905 shows that the inhabitants of the village of Pustec were in the bosom of the Bulgarian Exarchate. There were 400 Bulgarian Exarchists in the village.[5]
The French linguist André Mazon in his study on Slavic folklore in Albania from 1936 noted Pustec as a Bulgarian village in the region of Mala Prespa.[6]
In 1939, on behalf of 70 Bulgarian houses in Pusteets Todor Postalov signed a request by the local Bulgarians to the Bulgarian tsaritsa Giovanna requesting her intervention for the protection of the Bulgarian people in Albania - at that time an Italian protectorate.[7]
In 1973, the official name of the village was changed to "Liqenas" by the Albanian government. In 2013, however, the original Macedonian name, Pustec, was once again made official.[8]
Demographics
The majority of the population are ethnic Macedonians.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 410 |
| 1926 | 515 |
| 1945 | 565 |
| 1960 | 697 |
| 1969 | 788 |
| 1979 | 941 |
| 1989 | 1 035 |
| 2000 | 1 120 |
Culture
The village of Pustec is situated near two centuries' old rock churches. The first, Saint Michael the Archangel, is situated on the Lake Prespa shore. Its oldest frescoes date from the 12th century. The other, St Nicholas, contains only fragments of its original frescoes.[9]
People from Pustec
- Trajan Gjorgjiovski, partisan[10]
- Mitre Kolevski, partisan[10]
- Edmond Temelko, mayor of Pustec Municipality and president of the Macedonian Party
References
 |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pustec. |
- Law nr. 115/2014 Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Naumovski, Jaklina (25 January 2014). "Minorités en Albanie : les Macédoniens craignent la réorganisation territoriale du pays". Balkan Courriers. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- "Liqenas". Geoview.info. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- Гергова, Иванка. Поменици от Македония в български сбирки, София, 2006, с. 29.
- D.M.Brancoff. "La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne". Paris, 1905, p.170-171 (in French)
- Mazon, André. Documents, contes et chansons slaves de l’Albanie du Sud, Paris, 1936, p.3 (in French)
- Елдъров, Светозар. Българите в Албания 1913-1939. Изследване и документи, София, 2000, стр. 324-326.(in Bulgarian)
- Pustec poveke ne e Liqenas
- Angeličin-Žura, Goce. Пештерните цркви во Охридско-Преспанскиот регион (Р. Македонија, Р. Албанија, Р. Грција) (PDF). Ниш: В: „Ниш и Византија IV: зборник радова“; Симпозиум „Ниш и Византија IV“, Зборник радова IV, Ниш, 3–5 юни 2005. p. 397. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- "Ta Pastrojmë Prespën Në Një Ditë" (in Albanian). Makedonium. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
Subdivisions of Pustec Municipality | ||
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Municipal Seat: Pustec | ||
| Administrative Unit of Pustec |
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