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OUR Town - Gramsh
Gramsh is one of the 61 Albanian Municipalities and is located in the South-Central part of the country. It has a population of around 36,000 people, with 8,500 living in the City of Gramsh.
It is connected with Elbasan, Korça, Pogradec, Skrapar, Librazhd and Berat, and crossed by the river Devoll. The town offers a spectacular view of the Mount Tomori. It is a city with wonderful landscapes, lakes, waterfalls, which above all are untouched by human hand. The Gramsh District is quite rich in natural monuments, many of which are protected by the state, and cultural and historical artifacts.
History
Documentary searches, village names, legends, etc., indicate that Gramsh has been inhabited since ancient times. This is confirmed by archaeological findings in Tumulus (Lair Hill) of Cëruja, and an interesting finding, part of the inventory of a tomb found under the foundation of a building in the city, which dates from around the XI-XII century BC. This center has continued to be inhabited. The reason is the existence of water and fertile lands that are on the edge of the Devoll river. In the Middle Ages, the area was under the possession of Prince George Arianiti.
Gramsh is known as the origin of the great anti-fascist fighter, Antonio Gramshi.
Geography
The Gramsh District environment is hilly and mountainous. The entire territory lies at an altitude of 119-2373 m. Much of the Gramsh Municipality is located in a Central Mountain area called the Vërcë Valley. This part is located on the eastern side of the Devoll River. Its eastern part lies in the Western Lowland, known as the Sulawei province, and the area stretching between the Devoll and Tomorric river lies in the southern mountainous area. This circle lies in the middle section of the Devoll River, which in the circle has a length of 49 km.
The Gramsh district is part of the Elbasan County (Qarku). It is bordered by seven other Municipalities; Elbasan, Librazhd, Pogradec, Korca, Skrapar, Berat and Kuçova, and has an area of 695 km2.
For the geological makeup of the Gramsh Municipality; there are predominantly sedimentary rocks and some magmatic rocks. From studies conducted in the Gramsh Municipality, there are 70 kinds of useful minerals, metal, and non-metallic minerals and industrial construction minerals. There are also clean sources of potable water with great reserves, such as the Sotires and Kerpices waters, which are also used to supply drinking water for the city of Gramsh. At the southern end of the Municipality, glacial phenomena such as lakes have developed over time, located at 1500-1800 m above sea level. Curative waters are also known found in Kërpicë, Holtë and Black Lake, which through future investments can be used for the treatment of rheumatism.
The hydrographic network is very dense and very active in the rainy season. Water resources are a huge potential for the development of the district's energy industry. Currently Gramsh has three hydropower plants, one on the Grabovo River, in Lenie, with a capacity of 400kw / h, and one in the village of Kërpicë, with a capacity of 200kw / h. The large Tërvol Hydro Power Plant was completed in 2018. The main river of the district is Devolli, which runs through it. It is of great economic importance as there are many agricultural lands on both sides which are watered by it.
Nature & Climate
The Gramsh Municipality is part of the Central Mountain Region, the Western Lowlands, and the Southern Highlands, with an average of 804 m above sea level, a minimum height of 119 m above sea level, and a maximum of 2373 m. Within the climate of Albania, the territory of the district has an average Mediterranean climate. Features of the climate are cold and wet winters and hot and dry summers.
The Devoll River is a dividing line between the lowest parts in the west and the most mountainous parts in the east. It is in the middle of Devoll's flow, near the center of the Gramsh Municipality, that the City of Gramsh is located. At 230m above sea level, the City of Gramsh is built on one of the riverbanks created by the Devoll River.
It is part of the Mediterranean hilly climatic southwestern subzone that eaches up to 800-1000m above sea level and in the Mediterranean mountain climate zone southeastern subzone the upper part of the mountain reaches a height of 2373m. The average air temperature is 12.3oC-15.1oC for Low Zones and 9.5oC-10.9oc for Mountain Area.
Climate: The precipitation level varies, but accumulates to about 1200 mm a year. In mountainous areas snowfalls remain for 2 to 3 months a year. Rainfall is mostly concentrated in the winter season, a maximum is observed in November and a minimum in July. Climatic conditions are generally suitable for economic development, especially agricultural and agricultural ones.
Economy
Socialist period: The Gramsh district was historically ranked as a low economic development area. In the years of Socialist Collectivization, the city’s development began with the establishment of a gun factory, battery factories, and other factories. The inhabitants of this district have historically raised livestock and farmed, as well as wood processing. During the years of Cooperative Farming, livestock farming developed intensively.
Post-Communism: Gramsh inherited many factories related to the country's Communism military apparatus, including: the Mechanical Plant and the Battery Production Plant, the processing industry of agricultural and livestock products including the Canned Food Factory, the building materials industry, the production industry of maize products for export, and some mechanical woodworking wards. Agriculture is now the core branch of the district's economy, accounting for 65% of the GDP. Every rural household in Gramsh owns 0.97 ha of land or 0.2 ha per capita. Among grain crops, wheat occupies the largest majority. It currently occupies 46% of the area planted with crops. Corn is 21% of the area occupied by grains.
Within the Gramsh microclimate, over 20 varieties of vegetables are grown including: potatoes, beans, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, red beets, carrots, pumpkin, cabbage, spinach, and various spices. The Gramsh district has traditions in the orchard and the vineyard. This microclimate also that makes it possible to cultivate a considerable number of fruits such as grapes, figs, apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, palms, nuts, chestnuts, pomegranates, apricots, olive trees, and almonds. The natural condition of the leaves create opportunities for the breeding of livestock like sheep, goats, chickens and ducks. Gramsh is also known for bee breeding using massive mills. Honey produced especially in the area of Vërcë is of high quality with curative values.
Culture and Ethnography
The people of Gramsh have ancient cultural traditions. In the eighteenth century in the village of Upper Grabova a major contribution to the arts was given by the Çetiri brothers. They were followers of Korça Zografi and filled created over 11 frescoes and icons around the country. After the liberation of the country in 1912 from the Ottoman Empire, cultural life began to expand.
In 1951 a cultural and arts center opened in the city of Gramsh and artistic groups, theater, folklore, etc., started to grow. The artistic groups in the country raised in Gramsh institutions and have performed in many cities and villages outside of the Gramsh Municipality. Gramsh is well-known for its folk music. Many famous Albanian folk singers started their career in Gramsh.
In recent years the city holds a weekend-long cultural and tourism celebration called “Natyra Fest”, which includes a night of folklore music and dancing and a local products market.
The traditional clothing of the Gramsh area resembles more of Devoll area characteristics than that of the Elbasan area. Women's traditional clothing consisting of long shirts, while men use kilts, the garment with pens, a characteristic of central Albania.
The Cultural Palace is called "Thoma Prifti" and includes a theatre where children, young people, and talented citizens gather to perform different artistic talents in different fields including: singing, dancing (folk and modern), comedy, and more.