Berat – Albania

Berat – How to get there

Berat is about 120km far from Tirana, 60km from Durres and 90km far from Vlora. You can go to Berat by bus or car.

Berat – Sightseeing

What to see in Berat:

The castle of Berat – Entry fee 100 leke (around 1 euro)
The Museum of Iconography “Onufri” open 8.00-15.00, closed at Mondays, phone +355 32 32 248) – Entry fee 200 leke (around 2 euro)
The Museum of Ethnography (open 8.00-15.00, phone +355 32 32224)
Gallery “Eduard Lear” (open for each day, phone +355 32 32 027)
The Church of Saint Mehilli, (Michael)
The Cathedral of Saint Mary,
The Church of Saint Triadha (Trinity),
The Church of Saint Vllaherna
The King Mosque
The Bridge of Gorica, over river Osum

Berat – History

In the 3rd century BC an Illyrian fortress called Antipatria was built here on the site of an earlier settlement. The Byzantines strengthened the hilltop fortifications in the 5th and 6th centuries, as did the Bulgarians 400 years later. The Serbs, who occupied the citadel in 1345, renamed it Beligrad (White City) and there is speculation that this is where the town’s name comes from. In 1450 the Ottomans took Berat, and after a period of decline it began to thrive in the 18th and 19th centuries as a crafts centre, specialising in woodcarving. For a brief time in 1944 Berat was the capital of liberated Albania.