Berat

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Ironically, Berat is one of the most beautiful and best preserved cities in Albania, as the Communist government has planned this. The old town is an amalgamation of three different neighborhoods full of Ottoman houses with white roofs built against the rocks. The city is nicknamed the city with the thousand windows. From 2008, Berat is on the UNESCO list. In the 3rd century BC at the place where current Berat is located was an Illyric fortress called Antipatrea.

In the 5th and 6th AD the Byzantines fortified the fort on the mountain and the Bulgarians would repeat this four centuries later. The Serbs who took over the power in Berat in 1345 called the city Beligrad - the white city. In 1450 it was the turn of the Ottomans who conquered the city. In the 18th and 19th century Berat fell into decline but then became the center of the woodwork business. In 1944 Berat was even the capital of the liberated Albania (after being under Italian control during WW2).

The center of Berat:

Kala is one of the three old city districts in Berat and probably the most eye-catching because it lies within the city walls of the old castle of Berat (Kalaji e Beratit). Kala, built in the 14th century, was an old traditional Christian quarter with as many as 20 churches. There is also the St. Spyridon Monastery from 1864.

In addition to the beautiful view, museums, mosques and a large collection of white Ottoman houses have been beautifully refurbished in narrow streets with smooth white boulders. 

The other two neighborhoods are Mangalem and Gorica; the first contains a variety of mosques of which the Bachelors mosque is one of them. The district itself is beautifully stacked against the Bald rock on which the castle shows off. The main attraction of Gorica, which lies on the other side of the Osum river, is the stone bridge Ura e Gorces from 1780. Gorica was once a Christian quarter and contains at least of one interesting church and a monastery. At the top of the mountain below the "Gorica" district are the ruins of an ancient Illyric fortress. 

Other attractions:

• The Ethnographic Museum.

Berat has since a few years a modern bus station in the north of the city, about 3 km from the center. You can take a van for 30 Leke. It may also be that you are dropped (or have to board) in a part of a street in the middle of the busy "rr e Skrapartit" street where (mini) buses are parked up. It is near the Lead mosque.

Berat - Tirana: there are several buses from Berat to the capital. It is certain that one goes at 10:00 in the morning - costs 400 Leke - duration 2,5 hours. These buses only run from the bus station.

The entire boulevard near the Osum river is filled with terraces where you can get everything - burek, beer, coffee but also kebabs and ice cream. Near where you get off by bus is around the corner a nice restaurant with terrace - especially the young waiterboy is very friendly, speaks English and there is a menu in English and Albanian. The bean soup, gulash and salad are recommended.

Near the university and the starting point of some (mini) buses is a very nice terrace hidden behind a hedge of shrubs and a green fence. You can sit here, see everything without people seeing you. Beer costs 120 Leke for half a liter.

• Name: Private house Tomor Shehu

Price: 1500 Leke

Phone nr. : + 355 32 230636 / + 355 692 80 6445

Email: tomorshehu@hotmail.com

Content:

Just behind the Bachelors mosque in the Mangalem district owner Tomor Shehu has a great and affordable room for rent. To my knowledge he has two rooms but we have only seen one. You have your own entrance, a small mini terrace and a perfect cool room with two separate single beds. There is a shower (with hot water), private toilet and there are clean towels etc.

The man cycles all day around the village to pick up tourists and is for that reason a bit intrusive. It is clean and there is WIFI (also in the room). Breakfast is served on the small terrace in the morning and consists of tea, jam, bread, egg and cheese. The only drawback is the mosque next door, but we did not hear anything early in the morning.