Grabovë e Sipërme (also: Grabova; Aromanian: Greãva,[1] Grabuva) is a village in Albania inhabited by Aromanians.[2][3] The village is located in the former municipality of Lenie. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Gramsh.[4]

Grabovë e Sipërme
Greãva, Grabuva
Grabova seen from Shkembi Kopacit
Grabova seen from Shkembi Kopacit
Grabovë e Sipërme is located in Albania
Grabovë e Sipërme
Grabovë e Sipërme
Coordinates: 40°47′43″N 20°24′31″E / 40.79528°N 20.40861°E / 40.79528; 20.40861
Country Albania
CountyElbasan
MunicipalityGramsh
Municipal unitLenie
Elevation
1,250 m (4,100 ft)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

History

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Grabova was a medieval town created in the 10th century. Aromanians have left Grabova on several occasions, although the village has never been completely deserted. The first wave of depopulation took place in the 17th century, when Grabova shared the fate of Moscopole and during the inter-war period, starting with 1931, many of Grabovars emigrated to Elbasan and Lushnjë. In 1933, 15 families from the village emigrated to Romania; they initially settled in Southern Dobruja and then, in 1940, in the village of Nisipari, Constanța County, from where they moved to the larger nearby towns (Medgidia, Ovidiu, Constanta). Another important immigration began in 1950, when communist authorities used the craftsmen from Grabova to build the industrial units in Korçë, Pogradec, Gramsh, Elbasan, and Tirana.[2]

In the 18th century the Grabovë Church was built in the village. Owing to its past the town has another 18th century church: the church of Saint Paraskeva (Aromanian: Stãvinere) built in 1718, and the school of Simon Baba.[1]

Most common names in Grabova

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Family names

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Bardhi, Buzo, Cyco, Canuti, Nishku, Trushi, Thano, Verushi.[2]

Male names

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Theodhor (Dhori), Andoni, Kristo, Dhimo, Jani, Jorgji, Llambi, Dhionis, Pandeli, Piro, Spiro, Sotir (Sotiraqi), Themistokli, Thoma, Vangjeli, etc.[2]

Female names

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Dhimitra, Margarita, Maria, Naunka, Parashqevi, Thomaidha, Violeta (Violta)[2]

Notable people originated from Grabova

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ewa Kocoj: Artifacts of the Past as Traces of Memory. The Aromanian Cultural Heritage in the Balkans, page 167, Res Historica 41, 2016
  2. ^ a b c d e f Nistor Bardu, "Among the Aromanians in Grabova (Greava), Albania. Sociolinguistic Observations" Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Among the Aromanians in Grabova (Greava), Albania, 2007
  3. ^ Schwandner-Sievers, Stephanie (March 1999). "The Albanian Aromanians' Awakening: Identity Politics and Conflicts in Post-Communist Albania". www.ecmi.de. European Centre for Minority Issues. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  4. ^ "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). pp. 6368–6369. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ^ Омарчевски, Александър (2017-09-28). "ЖИВОТ И ДЕЙНОСТ НА БЪЛГАРСКИЯ ПАТРИАРХ КИРИЛ (по повод 40-тата годишнина от неговата блажена кончина)" (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  6. ^ Farka, Kurt (24 February 2018). "Si e njoha artisten e madhe me origjinë shqiptare, Lika Janko". Shqiperia.com (in Albanian). Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  7. ^ Dimitrova, Svetlana (1 December 2020). "Lika Yanko's sacral world". bnr.bg. Retrieved 2021-08-17.