Dardha

Dardha, a village in Korçë County, Albania, has been a well known ski area since the 1920’s. In 2012, Albania’s first ski-tow was opened at Bigell Ski Resort near Dardha.

In 1810, a Greek school was founded in the village by Ikonomou Isidoros and by the beginning of the 20th century, Greek education was flourishing with the establishment of additional schools: a girl's school (1901-1902) and a middle- level school. In the school season of 1901-1902, a total of 150 pupils attended the Greek schools which were sponsored by the local community fund, as well as the local Orthodox Church. The first Albanian school opened in 1917, with the initiative of Leonidha Çika. It opened with 20 pupils and with financing from the Vatra (main organization of the Albanian diaspora in the U.S.), who would sponsor the new school, in 1924, that is still in place today.

Dardha has historically suffered from heavy emigration. Many families of the area would become the first Albanian community in the USA and in Romania as well. People from Dardha have made an immense contribution to the Albanian American organization. Sotir Peçi, Josif Pani, Gjergj Konda, etc. would start the society "Besa-Besë", the "Kombi" newspaper, and the unification of the Albanian American societies into a single federation, Vatra, with Sotir Peçi as one of the initial founders.