B E R A T

Geography, History, Architecture values, Tourism, Craft

Geography and Location

The city of Berat is firstly built up as a fortress, on the rocky hill of 187 M above sea level, at the right side of Osum River , before this one to come out into field of Myzeqe, the largest of Albania . Berat district is located at the Central Mountainous Region and partly on Southwestern Lowland of Albania, at coordinates: latitude: North 40 0 52'24”; South 40 0 29'30” (city 40 0 41'06”); longitude: East 20 0 10'51”; West 19 0 44'30” (city 19 0 56' 40”).

Berat is 120 KM off the capital - Tirana, 92 KM off Durrës and 85 KM off Vlora. The geographical position is very favorable for transport and transit and also for economical-social communication with many districts of the country. Through distances of 40-50 km Berat can communicate with 6 other districts: Lushnje (37 km), Fier (47 km), Memaliaj (41 km), Këlcyre (50 km), Kuçovë (16 km)-Elbasan (43 km). The only city that approaches Berat in respect of communication rate is Elbasan, which can communicate with 5 other districts. From this kind of analyses comes out that Berat is potentially the biggest crossway center of all country. From Berat can be realized the shortest transit for at least ¾ of country, for all the activity that comes from the South and goes to East and to North (through the capital).

Berat is built up at a wonderful position of climate, with such capacities for communication, transit, production and industries that rarely are present to the other cities. Actually Berat has only one way out of national road, just this one that goes to Lushnje and, from there is branching out to Fier-Vlorë and Durrës-Tirana. Other links are of secondary roads, with low technical qualities and not maintained. The construction of other roads, second different studies, would improve the communication with other regions, opening other possibilities for more rapid development of Berat. Road net within district has 180 km, of which 65 km are asphalted, 18 km are national and 113 km are rural roads. The district is classified to those of 26-50 vehicles per 1000 persons.

The district covers an area of 953.6 KM 2 (city 6.3 KM 2 ). It lies down mainly on a territory with mountainous and hilly relief, with average height 455 M above sea level (city 58 M). Field is situated on Northwestern direction of district, on Osum river valley; up it is joined with Myzeqe field. The natural environment of the district is characterized by plains and hilly areas in Berat and Kuçova, Tomori mountain (East, 2417 m), Shpiragu (West, 1218 m) and valleys of Osum and Tomorica. While the plains and the hilly areas are the basis for the development of agricultural production, mountains and valleys represent ample resources of forestry, pastures and waters, yet not utilized as important potentials for economic and environmental development. A part of the land of 4,000 Ha at Tomori mountain has been declared as national park since 1996. From the number of visitors it is ranked second in the country, after the national park of Dajti .

The Osum River flows through the city and out of it, near Ura Vajgurore, joins Devoll River ; both of them form Seman River (its flow within the District for 32 km). Osum river is one of the biggest of the country. It shows interest for agriculture, electric energy, hydrogeology, ecology and city planning. Second hydrologic features, it is ranked 8 th for the length, 10 th for the water basin, 11 th for the annual average amount of water and 4 th for the average altitude of flow. It creates its full flow near Vithkuqi, which is considered as its beginning point. At the Osumi basin there are 698 km 2 of flora, with pine, fir-tree, oak, beech and other Mediterranean bushes. At the Çorovoda and Skrapari territory the river has create marvelous vertical canyons of different shapes that reach 150 m in depth and 15-20 m wide. Osumi brings in Seman 995 million m 3 of water per year, with average flow 32.5 m 3 /sek (in Berat 25-26.9 m 3 /sek). Annual amount of solid flows is 1,356 million m 3 . Osumi river flows within district for 51 km.

District climate is typical Mediterranean , with mean annual temperature 15.9 Centigrade. Mean temperature of coldest months is 7.2 Centigrade and this one of hottest months is 24.6 Centigrade. Absolute minimum temperature has been –11.2 and absolute maximum 43.6 centigrade. Average annual rainfalls are 928 MM, mostly on winter months. Berat city is well ventilated and has clean air for the greenery within the city and at the surrounding hills. Agricultural lands are mainly ashen-brown, distributed as follows: 36% on lowland, 38% on hilly zone and 26% on mountainous zone.

Historia

History

Berat belongs to the rare cities where the life begins since deep antiquity and goes on, uninterrupted, till today. Two stone hammers date beginning of life here before Bronze Age (2600-1800 BC). Archaeological evidences shows that on 7 th -6 th centuries BC here is developed a pre-urban settlement, with its ceramics workshops and with a differential social life. At the limit of legend and history, that settlement is sad to be ancient Orestiada, populated by Oresties, a clan of Pellazgos, whose leader was Oresti, son of Agamemnon. Authentic city was founded on 313-310 BC, as fortress-city of Dasaretia, named Antipatrea by King Kassandros on the memory of his father, General viceroy of Alexander the Great. After the Roman occupation in 2 nd century BC, the city was called Albanorum Oppidum (Albanians' Fortress). In 5 th century AD, under Byzantine Empire , it was reinforced and its name was changed in Pulheriopolis ( Brilliant City ). Invaded by Bulgarians in 9 th century, was called Belgrad (White Fortress) - Berat of today.

Under the dominion of Muzakas, at 13 th -14 th centuries, city started to grow outside the walls of castle. At that time Berat is developed and has became an important center of economy, trade, administration and culture. In the 1417 Ottomans took the city and its development was greatly reduced, but from the beginning of 16 th century it was recovered, becoming again one of the biggest cities of Albania . In 17 th century it continued to be the biggest city of Albania , having 500 house-buildings positioned at 30 quarters and 5 medrese (muslim religious schools). At that time Berat become the main economical center of the country, with a great development of trade and handicrafts. Berat was now the metropolis of Vlora sanxhak (region), composed by: Myzeqe, Tomoricë, Skrapar, Përmet, Pogon, Tepelenë and Vlora. In Berat were trading their goods foreign merchants. In 18 th century Berat becomes the center of big province with governor Ahmet Kurt Pasha. Ali Pasha Tepelena united it with his province of Ioanina and strengthened the walls of the fortress. At that time big merchants of Berat had relations with Venetia , Trieste , Ragusa , Ancona , Corfu , Malta , Alexandria , Izmir , Thessalonica, Istanbul , Sofia , Nish , Belgrade , etc. Berat had in use two harbors: Vlora and Durrës. So, it was the metropolis of a big system of districts. The merchants of Berat had their agencies in Durrës, Vlorë, Elbasan, Korçë. Big merchants of Scutari had in Berat their commercial agency.

Berat got the form of today in 18 th century and especially in 19 th century, after the earthquake of 1851. Towards the end of years '30 of 19 th century Berat had 8,000 inhabitants and, as all other cities it preserved the character of handicraft based economy. At that time began to work some workshops equipped with machineries, but the production relations still were of handicraft type. At the middle of 19 th century Berat ranked second, after Scutari, for economical power of big merchants who had correspondents or agencies in Durrës and Vlorë as well as in Trieste , Corfu and Malta . There were workshops with 5 to 10 employers and some small factories for bred powder and oil production. At the end of years 1800 there were in the city 820 factories and shops, being so the most flourishing economic, trading and cultural center of Southern Albania .

Until the middle of 20 century there still were in Berat big market places functioning regularly every Saturdays: grain market, dairy market and cattle market. There was the new market too, with 100 modern shops, representing all kind of goods. Second the number of craftsmen Berat was top ranked; were practiced about 23 kind of professions. Every profession was systemized at a road, giving it the name.

In 1961 Berat is officially declared museum-city.

It is museum-city of considerable riches of monuments and varied values, which are an evidence of cultural, historical and artistic inheritance, realized with great art and skill from its generations. From the division of zones and definition of categories of monuments, the city is devised in three zones: museum, protected and free zone. Today Berat has 210 museum objects, 150 of which are in good condition. Of them, 60 are of first and the others of second category.

Among the most prominent of these values are:

• The castle: built up on the rocky, triangle shape hill, with walls perimeter 1440 m, with 24 towers and two gates. With its Illyrian basis, reconstructed many a time in: 6 th , 13 th , 15 th and 19 th centuries it is today not only one of the biggest inhabited castle, but also a stone archive that offers a variety of styles and contributions of different epochs: Illyrian, Roman-Byzantine, Albanian and Ottoman. The castle is part of the old and wonderful legend of Tomor and Shpirag.
• Gorica bridge: with legend, which at about 1780 year, on the care of Ahmet Kurt pasha, is built up all of stone, over old wood construction of the upper part. It has been reconstructed in 1922 from the municipality of the city, taking the view of today. It is 129.3 m long, 5.3 m wide, rises 10 m over the river level and has 7 arches with space 9 to 16.7 m. It is today in bad conditions, makes urgent the construction of a new bridge for the vehicles. Its repair is necessary, to make possible preservation of a culture and architecture monument of Berat and one of its symbols, at the same time.
• Religion buildings and architecture: Some capitols and colonnades testify that there had been paleochristian churches in Berat on 4 th -6 th centuries (St. Todri). Among the most beautiful churches built up in 13 th -14 th centuries are: St. Mary Vllaherna, St. Trinity and St. Michel. The churches of Berat are dressed up with mural paintings of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine style, from different artists of 12 th -14 th centuries and masters of 16 th century: Onufri and his son Nikolla. The Cathedral of St. Mary is distinguished by a gilded wooden-carved iconostasis, an artistic work of first quality. There are in Berat a number of buildings of Islam religion, too, with remarkable architectonic and artistic values, as: Helvetics' Mosque, Bachelors' Mosque, Lead Mosque, etc. Those churches, mosques and the other urban buildings, especially ensembles of quarters Mangalem, Kala and Gorica, are the pearls of medieval architecture. From the special impression given by Mangalem ensemble, Berat is called “the city of one above one windows”.
• Arts and handicrafts: A rare work is found in Berat, the epitaph of Glavinica, a well-known art creation of 1373, embroidered in gold, silver and silk, showing the dead crowned Christ, surrounded by Greek scripts.
• With a fanaticism deserving to be called holy, in Berat are preserved manuscript records, which testify the particularly high level of city culture. The most important of these evidences is the Purple Codex (“Codex Purpureus Beratinus F”, or “Beratinus 1” ) of 6 th century, written in red parchments. It is one of only four/six copies found around the world. The Purple Codex of Berat has been registered in the list of the most important works of mankind “ Memoire du Monde ” ( The Memory of the World ) and for some years enjoys UNESCO's straightforward care. The second one is Golden Codex (“Codex Aureus Anthimi” or “Beratinus 2”) of 9 th century, written in parchments with golden letters. Both them contain parts of Gospels written in old Greek. These codices were recovered in the Cathedral of the castle in 1968 and today are at the Central State Archive in Tirana.

Tourism

Tourism is one of the most promising directions for the economic development of Berat. The city inherits from the past a wide and rich range of values of history, ethnography, architecture and religion. Such values form a considering potential for tourism. With tourism resources of the city is possible to be developed familiar tourism and that of group. At some zones of district (Tomor) are possible to be developed many aspects of mountainous tourism and hunting.

It is evident today that the community is largely conscientious for these values, but still it lacks finding adequate ways for bringing these values to the efficiency. There is much to be done for preserving and restoring the sad values, for assuring the necessary urban infrastructure and for tourist promotion of zone.

Years ago have begun an application process for including Berat to the rarities of mankind protected by UNESCO. After a long time of abandonment the process is attempted to be reopened. To realize it still needs a lot of qualified and passionate work from local government structures, involving in this process the best intellectual forces within and out of the city. It would be a strong push for development.

After great reduce of the reputation of the city at 1997, there is a restoration of good image, particularly at these two-three last years, time of enlargement of tourist numbers, coming from within the country, from Kosovo and from abroad. It is seen a reutilization of the best city traditions towards the visitors. Traditionally in Berat the visitor has found great hospitality, the experience of a nice and relaxing nature, the occasion to taste the characteristic traditional culinary combined with the modern one, where take place famous olives, meet of lamb and turkey and vines produced from vineyards around the city.

Handicraft

Handicraft, as a value of tradition, is working today in Berat in:

• Woodcarving,
• Embroidery,
• Silversmith and other metal works,
• Straw works,
• Stone carving,
• Stone decorative works.

On the last years it is seen a reinvigoration of these crafts. The visitor will find in some shops works with characteristic view of Berat. A number of works realized by craftsmen of Berat have been distributed abroad.