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Çezmat e Korçë/ Historian shows the cultural values, the call to become functional

2023-11-18 16:52:00, Qyteti im CNA

Çezmat e Korçë/ Historian shows the cultural values, the call

The taps of Korça are a perennial value that show the tradition and culture of the city. It was precisely various benefactors from Korça who invested in the creation and maintenance of dozens of taps in all the neighborhoods of the city of Korça. Besides them, part of their history have been the masters of stone carving and marble, giving the city another image.

Historian Niko Kotherja tells City News Albania the history of these taps while also mentioning a superstition of that time regarding the well of Mihal Gramenos. For Kotheren, every tap in the city has its own story.

"It is true that it has been a part of the Korça tradition and culture, spanning decades and years, and a good part of the taps were built by various benefactors, we remember here the benefactor Jovan Banka, who was able to channel the water that came from the area of ??the Morava part to bring it to the new taps. According to all the chronicles of the time that we have, in addition to the tap part, the roof was also built there that covered the part where people drank water, washed their clothes or performed their needs daily. At the head of this construction of that time, stood the portrait stamped in porcelain of the person who had made the construction of these taps possible. In general, the city of Korça has had over 10 taps structured in the form of a public tap, which were mostly built in stone, had come from the hands of various master stonemasons or marble engravers, as they served as a beautiful image of the city, not simply as a first source of life such as water. Generally all neighborhoods of the city had their tap, besides the taps, wells also worked, such as Gramenove's well and at that time the word spoken in Korça about this well was "if you drink water from this well, you will give birth to boys" because the mother of Mihal Gramenos had 7 sons born and the well was next to the house of her. It was a popular superstition that belonged not only to the wells but also to the popular taps of the city.

Further, after 1914, in 1916, a tap was created that still works today and is known by the Korçars as Papallambro's tap, in the part of the garden of Themistoklis Gërmenjit where the burial place and at the same time his statue are located, there was the walnut tap that was called at that time . Many years ago, these faucets worked, while today they only have their decorative form. The rest is in the Radeneci area where the people living in that neighborhood met their needs. It was an interesting element that in the streets of Korça, in addition to different taps, there were taps not structured like the main ones, but it was an important source for the time, an element that showed cleanliness. The existence of these resources has given the residents the right access to keep the city clean for decades," he said.

The taps remain an identifying element of Korça, but over the years, moving towards modernization, the taps are no longer functional as every family is provided with water in their homes. Niko Kotherja says that some of the taps in the most characteristic neighborhoods of the city should be restored to function in order to give tourism a different look and to keep the Korça tradition alive.

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"I think that life has continued towards modernization, elements which belong to a past decade, 1 or 2 centuries past, are today used as an identity element. I think that for the element of tourist development, a part of those taps should be in operation. But considering that life has changed and people have all the conditions in their living spaces, I don't think that as many public taps as the city has had are so necessary. But in order to preserve that Korça tradition, I think it is necessary that a part of the taps be restored to continue the tradition of preserving life that comes through water. It is a call that can take its place, but in any case we must have identified all the taps that have worked in the city of Korça and then have the opportunity to identify which can be turned into a tourist asset and why not to use the water from the natural sources that Korça has, especially with the part of Morava Mountain that brings the water, and it can be directed towards some of the city's taps. Attention should be paid to the history and tradition that the city has had, but I think there are endless other elements that should be brought to attention and further develop tourism," Kotherja emphasized.

Korça has more than 10 taps which years ago were functional, while today the only tap that still flows is Papallambro's, which is known by all Korça residents. Despite the change of times, no one can extinguish the tradition and culture of a country, and for this reason, the identifying elements of the city must be dealt with. / CNA TV