Meet the Albanian Village in Bulgaria, founded in 1636

Such is the case with Mandrica, a village in Bulgaria that was founded by Albanians in 1636.

In recent days this village has been visited by Albanian and Kosovo ambassadors Donika Hoxha and Edon Cana.

They have met the village's Albanian - speaking ladies and chat in Albanian.

Mandrica is a village on Bulgaria's southern border part of the Ivalovgrad district, the province of Haskovo. It is a rare honor to Albanian villages in Bulgaria. The population of this village in 2006 was 75.

Mandrica is located on the right bank of the Bella Reka River at the easternmost point of the 15km south of Ivalovgrad and two miles from the Lluuda Reka River, which simultaneously forms the Bulgarian-Greek border line.

Albanian village story

The village of Mandrica was created in 1636 by some Albanian Orthodox shepherds supplying the Ottoman Army with milk products. They were allowed to take a piece of land and not pay taxes. Most Albanians came in the 20th century VIII from the outskirts of Korca and the 20th century from the Suli region in modern - day Greece. Residents maintained national clothing until the 19th century, when the dress was replaced by Thracian pants, while women's clothing was preserved until the time of mass migration to Greece.

In the 19th century, Mandrica was a small Albanian town in Dimotka's can. In 1873 it was a settlement of 250 homes, with about 1080 Albanian inhabitants. In 1908, Greek sources called the population 3500 as the Albanian-speaking <x0-logue most of whom spoke Greek”. The main professions were the growth of silk, the cultivating of tobacco, artisans, and commerce. The village had three Greek educational institutions -- a school for boys, a school for girls and a kindergarten.