Pustec

Pustec (Albanian: Pustec; Macedonian and Bulgarian: Пустец[1]) formerly known as Liqenas (1973–2013), is a municipality in Korçë County, eastern Albania. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Prespa,[2] it is home to much of the Macedonian minority in Albania.[3]

Pustec

Пустец, Liqenas
Village
Pustec and the island of Maligrad
Flag
Emblem
Pustec
Coordinates: 40°47′13″N 20°54′08″E
Country Albania
CountyKorçë
MunicipalityPustec
Municipal unitPustec
Elevation
861 m (2,825 ft)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total1,120
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

Geography
Church in Pustec

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.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

Demographics

The majority of the population are ethnic Macedonians.

YearPopulation
1900 410
1926 515
1945 565
1960 697
1969 788
1979 941
1989 1 035
2000 1 120

Culture
Bilingual road sign in Pustec written in both Albanian (top) and Macedonian (bottom)

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.[10]

People from Pustec

References
  1. Olga M. Mladenova, Definiteness in Bulgarian: Modelling the Processes of Language Change, Walter de Gruyter, 2008, ISBN 3110198894, p. 393.
  2. Law nr. 115/2014 Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Naumovski, Jaklina (25 January 2014). "Minorités en Albanie : les Macédoniens craignent la réorganisation territoriale du pays". Balkan Courriers. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  4. "Liqenas". Geoview.info. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  5. Гергова, Иванка. Поменици от Македония в български сбирки, София, 2006, с. 29.
  6. D.M.Brancoff. "La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne". Paris, 1905, p.170-171 (in French)
  7. Mazon, André. Documents, contes et chansons slaves de l’Albanie du Sud, Paris, 1936, p.3 (in French)
  8. Елдъров, Светозар. Българите в Албания 1913-1939. Изследване и документи, София, 2000, стр. 324-326.(in Bulgarian)
  9. Pustec poveke ne e Liqenas
  10. 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.
  11. "Ta Pastrojmë Prespën Në Një Ditë" (in Albanian). Makedonium. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
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