Korçë

Korçë, Korça (both: kôr'chə), or Koritsa (kōrēt'sə), city (1989 pop. 63,623), capital of Korçë dist., SE Albania, near the Greek border. Located in an agricultural region, it is a commercial and industrial center producing foodstuffs, rugs, and knitwear. Lignite deposits are mined nearby. Korçë is the seat of a Greek Orthodox metropolitan. Known in 1280, it was destroyed (1440) by the Turks but developed again after the 16th cent. Ever since Albania gained independence in the Balkan Wars, Korçë has been claimed by Greece. Greek troops occupied it in 1912-13 during the Balkan Wars and again early in World War I. From 1916 to 1920 it was occupied and administered by the French, and in World War II it was held (Nov., 1940-Apr., 1941) by the Greeks. Korçë has a large 15th-century mosque and several modern government buildings.