Remote Hill Town of Churches
Eastern Albania, Albania
Just 21 km from Korca, the remote hill town of Voskopoja is one of the most atmospheric and evocative places in this part of the Balkans. In a region adorned with large conifer forests and wide-open countryside, seven churches still remain – some adorned with some remarkable fresco paintings. The region today is inhabited by a few hundred Vlach shepherds (a small minority in Albania).
Background
Voskopoja became one of the most developed and prosperous cities in the European part of the Ottoman Empire between the 17th and 18th centuries, and was even bigger than Athens and Sofia. The first of its 24 churches were constructed in the 17th century. In 1720 the first printing press in the Balkans was established here, and in 1760 books were being printed. The town declined at the end of the 18th century as Korca grew as the regional capital.