Poliçan is an ethnic Greek village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Dropull. It is within the wider Pogoni region that stretches in both Greece and Albania. Poliçan was the municipal center of the former Pogon municipality in Albania. It is nicknamed "the Bride of the Pogoni region".
In classical antiquity the region was inhabited by the Chaonians, one of the three major Greek tribes that inhabited ancient Epirus. Polican was identified with the Chaonian settlement Politeiani also known as Polyani. The name appears to be borrowed from the nearby mountain Polyainos. Ancient coins depicting Alexander the Great have been unearthed in Poliçan. The ancient name has changed to the present form during the Slavic invasion. In the late Byzantine period two Christian Orthodox monasteries were erected next to Polican. After the Fall of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade, Polican became part of the Greek Despotate of Epirus and refuge for various Byzantine noble families.
At the period of Ottoman occupation, that started in mid-15th century, Polican enjoyed a privileged semi-autonomous status which led to economic and cultural flourishing. The settlement was included in the Koinon of Zagori, although geographically it was not part of the Zagori region, but belonged to the Pogoni villages. In the early 16th century two significant church buildings were erected in the town: Saint Athanasius and Saint Demetrius. Both of them display unique features of early post-Byzantine art. A Greek school was founded in 1672 by the local Orthodox missionary Sophianos next to the church of Saint Athanasius. The school attracted also students from the nearby regions next to Gjirokastër. A second school started operating in 1750, sponsored by a local businessman and benefactor. Greek education was expanded with the foundation of two secondary level schools in 1866, in addition to a boys' and a girls' school in 1866 and 1874 respectively. The localeducational institutions became renowned to such a degree that their graduates were eligible for admission to any Greek college in the Ottoman capital Constantinople without qualifying examinations. The schools of Polican were financed by the local community and especially by local businessmen and benefactors as well as by the town's diaspora.
20th century
Polican and the rest of the settlements in the Pogon municipality became part of Albania in the 1920s. In 1940, when Axis Italy launched a failed invasion against Greece from Albanian territory during World War II, the town came under the control of the II Army Corps of the Greek forces. The Greek communities that reside in Pogon have a recognized minority status by the Albanian state. A Greek elementary school is currently operating in Polican.
Demographics
In 1913 the population of Polican was 1,650. During the interwar period it reached ca. 2,500 inhabitants that spoke Greek. but it decreased to 559 in 1989.
Geography and culture
Polican is located on the slopes of Mount Nemërçkë, from the Greek-Albanian border. It is the northernmost Greek speaking village within the Pogoni region, which is divided between Greece and Albania. In Polican, along with the rest of the Pogoni region, polyphonic singing is part of the local musical tradition.
