Vermosh

Vermosh, the northernmost village in Albania, has only been settled permanently for a little more than a hundred years, but it lies in a region with thousands of years of complicated and intermingled history. The more I learn about it, the more excited I become to have the opportunity to travel there next month, because Vermosh seems to represent the Balkan region and Albanian history in so many interesting ways.

Vermosh is part of the province of Kelmend, which was long part of the Ottoman empire, but following the Treaty of London in 1913, was ceded to the newly independent Principality of Albania. In the last century, the area has seen rule by Ottoman Turks, Montenegrins, Yugoslavs, and Italians, as well as kings, dictators, and presidents of Albania.

By the end of World War II, the communists in the south of the country had consolidated their position, and moved against nationalist holdouts in the north. Anti-communist partisans in Kelmend and other northern provinces were routed, and this led to 50 years of "(isolation) both by the border and by lack of roads" and "economic backwardness". The region was effectively frozen out by the central government, which controlled the economy through centralized planning. The central government also largely prevented emigration, closing off opportunities outside of Albania.

After anti-communist demonstrations brought down the government in 1991, the floodgates to the outside world opened. In the 1990s, the town had between 1300 and 1400 residents, but today, out of 550 homes, 200 lay unoccupied. Most left for the USA or Western Europe, with many of the some 500 former inhabitants now live in Detroit. Remittances from relatives living abroad are still a major source of income for those remaining in Vermosh.

Despite its history, Vermosh has a lot to offer. "Stunning landscapes and grand vistas of the dramatic Alps make this village a true paradise on the earth." The village is located over 1000 meters above sea level, in a dramatic eponymous Alpine valley, surrounded by the Accursed Mountains, a range that lofts above Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro. It is also famous its for varieties of plant and dairy products, and for its unique status as an enclave of Catholicism within mostly Muslim Albania.

Vermosh had a trying 20th century, full of war, poverty, and oppression, but as people come to see the appeal of its fortuitous placement within the Albanian Alps, the 21st looks increasingly bright for this long suffering village. As Tom Phillips, a teacher from the 2012 version of the B3P Project in Vermosh, put it, "Tourism at least offers a means of bringing much-needed income into the valley. Several guesthouses have already opened, but visitors are scarce". Hopefully we can do something this summer to change that.