Durres (Albania)

Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about 33 km (21 mi) west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari (300 km/186 mi away) and Brindisi (200 km/124 mi away). Durrës is home to Albania's main port, the Port of Durrës, and to the newest public university, the Aleksandër Moisiu University. It has a population of 115,550, while metropolitan area has a population of 265,330 [2]. In addition, it is the meeting point of national roads SH2 and SH4. Founded in the 7th century BC by Greek colonists from Corinth and Corcyra under the name Epidamnos,[3] it has been continuously inhabited for 27 centuries and is one of the oldest cities in Albania. Durrës served as Albania's national capital from 7 March 1914 until 11 February 1920 during the reign of William of Albania in Principality of Albania.[4] In 2012, The Globe and Mail ranked Durres at no.1 among 8 exciting new cruise ports to explore.

Vlora (Albania)

Vlorë (known also by several alternative names) is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of 79,948 ^[1]. It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912. The city was for a short time the capital of Albania.
Founded as an ancient Greek colony in the 6th century BC by the name of Aulon and continuously inhabited for about 26 centuries, Vlorë is home to the Port of Vlorë and University of Vlorë as the most important economical and cultural city of southwestern Albania.

Tirana (Albania)

Tirana (indefinite form in Albanian: Tiranë, in the region sub-dialect of Gheg Albanian: Tirona) is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously[4] inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of 400,000 , with metro area population of 763,634 . The city is host to public institutions and private universities, and is the center of the political, economical, and cultural life of the country.

Rugova Gorge (Kosovo)

Rugova Gorge (KOSOVO)

Elbasan (Albania)

Elbasan (Albanian: Elbasan or Elbasani) is a city in central Albania. It is located on the Shkumbin River in the District of Elbasan and the County of Elbasan, at 41°06′N 20°04′E. It is one of the largest cities in Albania, with a population of 79,810 [2]. It was called Neokastron (New Castle) in Greek, Novigrad (new city) in Slavic and Terra Nuova in Italian. The modern name may derive either from the IE root *alb (as Albania) or from the Turkish il-basan ("the fortress").[3]

Before the Second World War, Elbasan was a city with a mixture of eastern and medieval buildings, narrow cobbled streets and a large bazaar. There was a clearly defined Christian settlement within the castle walls, a Vlach district on the outskirts of the city and several fine mosques and Islamic buildings. At the time the population was about 15,000 people.

The English journalist J.D. Bourchier, then the Balkan correspondent of The Times, records that on a visit in 1911 he saw:

"The population celebrating Bairam in central space: wonderful primitive merry-go round with gypsy minstrels (flute and drum), pushed round by the men with poles; also a cartwheel poised on a tree top; pekhilvans wrestling, mostly refugees from Dibra, thus gaining a precarious livelihood.

Kruja (Albania)

Krujë (Definite Albanian form: Kruja) is a town in north central Albania and the capital of the municipality and the Krujë District. It has a population of about 15,900. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km from the capital of Albania, Tirana.

Inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of the Albani, in 1190 Krujë became the capital of the first autonomous Albanian state in the middle ages, the Principality of Arbër. Later it was the capital of the Kingdom of Albania, while in the early 15th century Krujë was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, but then recaptured in 1443 by Skanderbeg, leader of the League of Lezhë, who successfully defended it against three Ottoman sieges until his death in 1468.

The Ottomans took control of the town after the fourth siege in 1478, and incorporated it in their territories. A 1906 local revolt against the Ottoman Empire was followed by the 1912 Declaration of Independence of Albania. In the mid-1910s Krujë was one of the battlefields of the conflict between the short-lived Republic of Central Albania, founded by Essad Toptani, and the Principality of Albania. In 1914 Toptani managed to seize the town but during the same year it was reincorporated by Prênk Bibë Doda in the Principality of Albania. During WWII was the center of the activities of resistance leader Abaz Kupi.

The museums of Krujë include the Skanderbeg museum, located in the environs of the Krujë castle, and the national ethnographic museum.

Berat (Albania)

Berat is a town located in south-central Albania and the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000[1] people. In July 2008, the old town (Mangalem district) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Gjirokastër (Albania)

Gjirokastër (known also by several alternative names) is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County. Its old town is inscribed on the World Heritage List as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate." Gjirokastër is situated in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino River, at 300 meters above sea level. The city is overlooked by the Gjirokastër Castle where Gjirokaster National Folklore Festival is held every 5 years. Gjirokastër is the birthplace of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha and notable writer Ismail Kadare. It hosts the Eqerem Çabej University.

The city appears in the historical record in 1336 by its Greek name, Argyrokastro,[2] as part of the Byzantine Empire.[3] It became latter the center of the local principality under the Albanian lord, Gjon Zenebishi (1373-1417), before falling under Ottoman Empire rule for the next five centuries.[3] Taken by the Greek Army during the Balkan Wars on account of its large Greek population,[4] it was eventually incorporated into the newly independent state of Albania in 1913. This proved highly unpopular with the local Greek population, who rebelled and after several months of guerilla warfare established the short-lived Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus with Gjirokaster as its capital in 1914. It was definitively awarded to Albania in 1921.[5] In more recent years, the city witnessed anti-government protests that lead to major political instability in Albania (1997).[6]

Alongside Albanians, the city is home to a substantial Greek minority.[7] Gjirokastër, together with Saranda, is considered one of the centers of the Greek community in Albania,[4] and there is a Greek consulate in town.[8]

Saranda (Albania)

Saranda or Sarandë is the capital of the District of Sarandë, Albania, and is one of the most important tourist attractions of the Albanian Riviera. It is situated on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea in the Mediterranean 2 nautical miles from the Greek island of Corfu. The city of Saranda has a population of about 30,000 (2001 estimate).[2] Near Sarandë are the remains of the ancient city of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Alongside its ethnic Albanian majority, Sarandë is home to an ethnic Greek minority and is considered one of the centers of the Greek minority in Albania.

Shkodër (Albania)

Shkodër (Definite Albanian form: Shkodra; see the etymology section for other names), is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Population of Shkodër is 74,876, while Shkodër County has a population of 217,375.

Puke (Albania)

Pukë is the capital of the Pukë District in northern Albania. The town has a population of 6,495 (2005 est.). The local football club is called KS Tërbuni Pukë.

At 838 metres above sea level, the town is one of the highest in elevation in Albania and a well known ski area. It is 150 km from Albania's capital, Tirana. Situated on the road from the Adriatic to Kosovo, the town developed during the 4th–2nd centuries B.C. In ancient times, it was known as Picarea. The ancient town was destroyed by a barbarian invasion. The town has also been known as Pezhve. This area has a 2,000-year-old tradition of resin sculpture. The remains of this tradition are located in a quarter of Pukë town. In the 20th century, Pukë was expanded as a military base and a centre of Catholic Education. The distinguished Albanian poet Migjeni worked there from 1936 to 1937. The school where he worked as a teacher is a tourist attraction. The town is surrounded by a 400-hectare massif covered with pine trees. Since the end of the communist era, there has been a spread of disease in the pines caused by pine processionary moths, whose nests are conspicuous.

The hotel standing in the town square has been upgraded and now boasts a micro brewery producing Puka Beer, which is a lager in draught form.

The name Pukë comes from Latin via publica "public road" as it was located on an old trade route.

Korce (Albania)

Korçë (Definite Albanian form: Korça, other names see below) is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people (2009 census),[1] making it the sixth largest city in Albania. It stands on a plateau some 850 m (2,789 ft) above sea level, surrounded by the Morava Mountains.

Lezhe (Albania)

Lezhë (Albanian: Lezha or Lezhë; Italian: Alessio, Greek: Λισσός) is a city in northwest Albania, in the district and county with the same name. It is located at 41.79°N 19.65°E and has a population of about 27,500 (2009 est). In ancient history it was an ancient Greek colony named Lissus. The latter is an Archaeological Park of Albania.