Labovë e Madhe


Labova e Madhe is not to be confused by the nearby town Labova e Kryqit, in Libohovë municipality.
Labovë, alternatively Labova e Madhe or Labova e Zhapës, is a village in the former Odrie municipality, Gjirokastër County, Southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Gjirokastër. It is situated roughly 650m above the sea level.

History

The village was home of the Greek entrepreneurs and national benefactors Evangelis Zappas and his cousin, Konstantinos Zappas. Because of their family name the town is alternatively called "Labovë e Zhapës" although officially it is still called Labovë. The Zappas sponsored the foundation of educational facilities known as Zappeian School. In 1875-1876 this consisted of: a primary and a high school as well as a female, a weaving school for girls and a library containing 400 volumes from Greek and Latin authors. Evangelis Zappas participated in 1860 in the debate about Albanian being written and held the view that the language could not become a literary one but should not be abandoned and that a Greek based alphabet be used for Albanian in the Labovë school founded by him.
At 1929 a proposal to re-establish a school for the Greek-speaking children of Labovë was dismissed by state officials, as according to their report the initiative had not been well received by local Albanian Christians.

Demographics

During the Ottoman census of 1895, Labovë, a Greek-speaking village, counted 701 inhabitants. The village of Labovë e Madhe is one of mixed speech which is inhabited by an Orthodox Albanian population that speaks Albanian as a mother tongue and Aromanians who form a significant community in the village. The Aromanian presence in Labovë e Madhe dates to the 20th century when during the communist era of Albania they settled in the village.

Notable people