Podë, Albania


Podë is a village in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It is located between Ersekë and Leskovik. Today, it is a depopulated village with only 11 houses. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Kolonjë.

History

The earliest known reference to Podë appears in Ottoman cadastral records from the 15th century, when the village was listed as part of the Sanjak of Albania. At that time Podë was a small rural settlement, whose inhabitants were recorded for taxation under the Ottoman timar system.
In the early 19th century, the village became notable as the birthplace of Zylyftar Poda, a local leader who emerged during the Albanian uprisings of the 1830s against Ottoman rule. His activities brought Podë into the historical record and linked it to wider resistance movements in the region.
During the late Ottoman period and into the 20th century, Podë remained a small mountain community. Wars, economic hardship, and later communist collectivization contributed to depopulation, as families left in search of work in nearby towns or abroad.
Following the fall of communism in the 1990s, Podë experienced rapid decline. The 2011 census recorded only a dozen houses being inhabited

Culture and landmarks

Podë lies on the eastern slopes of the Gramos Mountains, an area noted for its alpine pastures & traditional stone architecture.
Near the village is the Shpella e Podës, a karstic formation that has been surveyed by speleological teams and is included in national listings of natural monuments of Albania.
The village retains examples of traditional stone-built houses typical of Kolonjë, although many are now abandoned. Seasonal return by emigrant families continues during the summer months, maintaining cultural links with the area.
Podë is a majority Orthodox Christian village.

Notable people