Berat, part 1: panoramas. Open left menu Berat Cuisine and restaurants

Monastery of St. Mary in Ardenica is one of the oldest monasteries in Albania, whose history goes back to ancient times.

The monastery, located on the top of a high hill, is located in close proximity to the ruins of an ancient ancient city Apollonia is the largest ancient Greek port in Illyria, founded in the 6th century BC. To build the monastery church around 1220, the builders used blocks borrowed from the ruins of Apollonia, long abandoned by that time. However, the first religious buildings appeared in this place long before the 13th century - the inscription on the wall of the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary indicates that it existed as early as 858.

The monastery was founded by order of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos in 1282. It was here that the famous Albanian national hero Georgi Kastrioti, better known as Skanderbeg, was married to Donika Arianiti.

In the mid-18th century, the monastery was significantly rebuilt, and most of the buildings, sculptures, frescoes and icons that have survived to this day date back to this period. In the same century, Ardenica became a center of religious education. A school was opened here, and then a gymnasium, which existed successfully until the Second World War. There was also a library, and a very rich one, but most of it was destroyed by fire in 1932.

In 1967, the monastery was closed, but thanks to its status as a cultural monument, it escaped destruction - a hotel was opened on its territory.

In 1992, the monastery was returned to the Albanian Orthodox Church, and services were resumed here, and in 1996 the monks returned here.

Berat Fortress

Berat is one of the most ancient and picturesque cities in Albania, and its ancient fortress- almost the only one in the country.

The city was founded almost 2,500 years ago, at about the same time the first fortifications appeared on this site. Then they were wooden, and a stone triangular fortress with defensive towers appeared on the top of the hill in the 13th century - at a time when Albania was part of the zone of influence of the Byzantine Empire. However, even the powerful citadel could not save the city from being conquered by the Turks in 1417. In the centuries of Ottoman rule that followed, mosques appeared in the lower part of the Berat fortress, which can still be seen today.

Over the centuries of its existence, the fortress has undergone many changes. You can see what it originally looked like today only on a coin worth 10 Albanian leks - but even the fairly destroyed citadel is still inhabited. True, few people dare to live permanently among ancient ruins overgrown with moss, but on the territory of the citadel there are many houses that local residents used as “country real estate” - chickens walk along the narrow winding streets among ancient cannons, clothes dry on lines, children play. Nearby there is a museum that contains exhibits telling about the history of the fortress and its inhabitants.

The Berat Fortress is one of the favorite places of Albanian newlyweds, so if you are lucky, you can see an Albanian theatrical wedding ceremony.

What sights of Berat did you like? Next to the photo there are icons, by clicking on which you can rate a particular place.

Goritsa

Gorica is an archaeological site that is located in the south of Berat, at the confluence of two rivers. Traces of an ancient fortification were discovered here, on one side of which there was a magnificent view of the city citadel, and on the other, one of the rivers (Velebisht) was visible as if in the palm of your hand. Scientists believe that this fortification played a significant role not only in the defense of the city, but also in navigation.

From the north, the ancient fortress in Goritsa was securely closed by a rock, and on three sides it was built main wall. Fragments of this wall were discovered by archaeologists in good condition and became one of favorite places among tourists and a subject of interest to historians.

Based on fragments of ceramic dishes, which were also discovered during excavations, archaeologists were able to establish that all these items date back to approximately the 4th-3rd centuries BC. After the Romans appeared in Goritsa, the decline of life began here, and this happened in the 2nd century BC. Research into the material obtained during the excavations continues, and historians suggest that the first settlements in Goritsa appeared much earlier - in the late Bronze Age, or in the early Iron Age.

Berat is located seventy kilometers south of the capital Albania. The city is famous for the fact that since 1961 it has had the official status of a museum city. Quantity historical monuments here exceeds two hundred. Among the attractions of Berat are several mosques of the 15th-19th centuries, stone arch bridges XVII century. But the main architectural monument is the citadel, built in the 13th century along mountain range and towering not only over the riverbed, but over the entire city.

A visit to the citadel is a must for newlyweds who come here from all over the country, and sometimes theatrical wedding ceremonies are held right here. Inside the fortress there is also historical museum and several ancient temples. Berat is famous for its late XIX century, it was here that the center of the national Albanian movement for independence from Ottoman Empire.

The most popular attractions in Berat with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose best places to visit famous places Berat on our website.

Individual and group

It will be incomplete. It is he who can tell a lot about the history of local civilization, because its history dates back to the 4th century BC.

Today Berat looks like a medieval city: narrow, stone-paved streets, ancient houses, bridges, people not in a hurry - time seems to have stopped here. In the middle of the 20th century, Berat was officially recognized as a museum city, and in 2008 it was included in the list World Heritage UNESCO as an example of buildings from the Ottoman Empire. Also, this Albanian town looks extremely interesting from the outside: the mountainside seems to be generously strewn with low white houses. At the same time, they are on different levels, and only the windows catch your eye. Therefore, Berat is often called the “city of a thousand windows”.

General information about Berat

Berat is located 70 km from the capital in south direction. Its area is just over 6,000 square kilometers and its population is about 65 thousand people. It began its existence as a Greek city called Antipatrea. Then it was conquered by the Romans (2nd century BC) and received the name Pulcheriopolis. At the time of entry into the Bulgarian kingdom (IX-XI centuries) it was called Beligrad (White City) and it was from this name that its modern name, Berat, came. Further, over the course of history, the city was part of the Despotate of Epirus, and for many centuries it was part of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, the city has a lot of Arab, Byzantine and pagan cultural monuments to this day.

The nature of Berat is famous for its beauty. On one side of the city there are mountains covered with bright greenery, on the other there is a river. This place is environmentally friendly, and this is confirmed by the fireflies that live here, which you will not notice during the day, but at night they light up the city with many green lights. Thanks to this, Berat is considered great place For . Summers in Berat are warm and dry, and winters do not experience severe frosts, although there is much more rainfall.

Sights of Berat

Berat combines two cultures - Muslim and Christian. On the territory of the Muslim quarter of Mangolem there are eight mosques, which are truly architectural monuments. The most famous of them are the Lead and Royal Mosques (16th century) and the Batchelors Mosque (11th century), which today houses the Museum. contemporary art. This quarter is connected to the Christian beautiful stone bridge.

In the Christian quarter of Gorica is the main attraction of Berat - a fortress that was built in the 13th century during the Byzantine Empire to protect against Turkish attacks. This ancient citadel is located on a mountain ridge, proudly towering over the city. Its uniqueness is that people live here to this day, leading an ordinary lifestyle, doing crafts and raising livestock. Since Christians have always lived on the territory of the fortress, there are many churches located here. The Church of the Holy Trinity, the Church of St. Michael, the Church of the Evangelists, and the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God are worthy of special attention.

On the territory of the fortress there is also a Museum of Ethnography, which displays an exhibition of ancient Albanian clothing, household items, weapons, moonshine stills, etc.

The Onufri Museum of Icon Painting is of great value and interest to tourists. Here are works of Albanian iconographers painted from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

Where to stay in Berat?

In Berat, almost all hotels are located near the city center. However, there are several luxury hotels, as well as many mini-hotels, so no matter your budget you can stay close to the attractions. Not far from the fort is Hotel Mangalemi, whose rooms are designed in an authentic style with tiled floors and wooden ceilings. If you want to have more classic accommodation, then the elegant and modern White City Hotel or the small cozy Vila Lili Guest House will suit you.

Also, local residents often meet tourists coming to Berat at stops and offer accommodation in their houses. This option will be cheaper and will also allow you to have plenty of interaction with the local population.

Where to eat in Berat?

Berat is famous for its grapes and other delicious fruits, of which there is always plenty in the city, and you will not have any difficulty finding them. As for various food establishments, since the prices here are low, you can practically not deny yourself anything and visit best restaurants and city cafes. These include, first of all, the Mangalemi, Antigoni and Onufri restaurants, which serve excellently prepared European and European dishes. You can taste delicious aged wine and equally delicious food at Taverna Lazaro. In general, there are a lot of cafes and restaurants in Berat, no matter what part of the city you are in. They will all have one thing in common - a pleasant atmosphere and sincere Albanian hospitality.

From Tirana to Berat it’s “only” 120 km, and what’s nice is not through the mountains, but along a flat path, i.e. along the highway. Well, or let’s say this: 80% of the path is smooth, and 20% is over bumps and unevenness. We were already accustomed to the fact that in Albania the journey should be calculated not in kilometers, but in hours, so we knew that we would have about 3 hours of travel there and the same amount back (since we did not want to stay there overnight).

We went to Berat on our own, i.e. by car. To do this, you first need to leave Tirana, get along a completely civil highway (two lanes in each direction, divided in the middle) to the port of Durres (about 40 km, almost everywhere the permitted maximum speed is 80 or 90 km/h), then turn south towards Rogozin - again along a good highway. After some time, the part of the road that was put into operation becomes unfinished. This forces you to be more attentive, because... You may come across drainage hatches that have not yet been sealed, holes in the middle, or other “joys” of the driver. Transitions between sections of the highway are now a separate story - continuous potholes that you literally need to crawl over in the lowest gear. Not all segments have the necessary markings or lighting, so traveling at night is a special topic in motor sports for survival. However, road work is underway and from month to month there is a noticeable difference for the better.

At the Lushnije level, you need to navigate the map and turn towards this town (the main highway goes on the right hand towards Fier). Frankly, the quality of the road changed so dramatically and immediately that it even seemed to me that we had lost our way. We stopped near a cafe with local drivers, and they kindly explained to us in understandable Albanian :) that we were going the right way and that we needed to stay on this strange road further.

The road seemed strange to me because of its disgusting nature. It’s just that Berat is a famous tourist destination, a city under UNESCO protection, etc. For some reason it seemed that some kind of normal route had been laid there. But no. The remaining 30 km from Lushnje to Berat, the cruising speed was about 30-40 km/h (from 5 to 70 km/h), we constantly had to keep our eyes on the road and make sure not to fall into the next hole or to go around the next crack in time. old asphalt. There were also simply torn up areas, where there was pothole on pothole.

Albanian drivers, in principle, are not reckless. There is no place to particularly accelerate here. But what’s nice is that they are not malicious and rather try to help than show aggression. The most they can show their impatience is by pressing the horn. But few people pay attention to this seriously. Well, it’s customary to use the horn here when overtaking on the left to warn the other driver, as well as in the mountains before the next blind turn.

It's already opening from afar beautiful view to Mount Tomor, snow-capped at this time of year.

Berat gained fame and tourist attractiveness due to its well-preserved historical center, very picturesquely located along the Osum River, and representing an example of urban development from the Ottoman Empire. The first Greek settlements here date back to the 4th century BC, but modern name the city is coming on behalf of "Belograd" ( white city), given by the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I in the 9th century. The city was part of the Bulgarian kingdom until the 11th century, and later was part of the Epirus Despotate. In the 13th century the city was again part of the Byzantine Empire. In 1345, the city became part of the Serbian Kingdom under Stefan Dusan. In the 15th century, Berat was the capital of the Principality of Muzaki, in 1432 -1444. - the capital of the principality of Arianiti.

The city was conquered by the Ottomans in 1431. In 1450, Berat was included in the Ottoman Empire and remained part of it until 1912. By the way, it was here that the independence of Albania was proclaimed in 1912.

In Albania itself, Berat has the definition of “the city of a thousand windows” because of the specific impression given by dense buildings on the slopes of two low mountains.

We actually parked in the very center in the Mangalem area, just on the street and went to explore the surroundings. We didn’t have much time (since we left Tirana very late), so we limited ourselves to only one part of the city, leaving the rest for our subsequent trips here.

On the mountain we saw a nice church and decided to climb higher there to take a closer look.

The road up the mountain is essentially an ancient street paved with white stone.

Along the way there are very pleasant panoramic views of the surrounding area.

The church turned out to be closed, but we read in the guidebook that it was consecrated in honor of St. Michael and dates back to the 16th century.

As is usual for Albania, the closer to the south, the more Orthodox churches(in the north of Albania there are more Catholics). In general, historically Albania is a Christian country, the Apostle Paul baptized here, and Islam appeared here along with the Turks and not earlier than the 15th century. Albanians converted to Islam mainly for economic reasons, to avoid taxes on non-believers. The Greeks helped pay this tax to their coreligionists in the south, so Christianity remained stronger there. Rome financed Catholics less actively, so the influence of Islam is more noticeable in the north, and many Albanians who did not want to change their faith emigrated to Italy (where, by the way, they still retained the language, living in separate communities... and did not preserve it having writing).

However, we could also talk about Islam in Albania interesting stories, because it is not at all homogeneous and has very interesting features.

Albanians themselves are quite indifferent to religion, and are also tolerant of all religions.

The descent down the narrow streets is very picturesque.

Fortunately, it's not hot in February (though not cold, the sun was shining and we even took off our jackets in the end).

In the summer, when everything is in bloom, there must be wonderful shade from the grapes...

Berat (70 thousand inhabitants) is a city in the foothills of central Albania, located in a place where the Osum River, breaking through to the sea, cut a picturesque gorge through the meridional ridge. Along with Kruja and Gjirokastra, Berat is included in the “obligatory program” of tourists coming to the country, both organized and self-propelled. This is quite justified: the city is well preserved historical center, which includes ancient fortress and vast blocks of medieval Ottoman buildings set into the steep slopes of the river bank. The latter gives Berat unique feature: rows of houses, all with noticeable large windows of the same size and shape, stand on top of each other, giving the impression that the city consists not of streets and walls, but of countless windows:

Albanians call Berat “qyteti i një mbi një dritareve”, which in a very loose translation means “city of a thousand windows” (the word thousand is not even close here, but try to translate it some other way).

Berat (under different names) has been known since ancient times. Being located on the distant and unstable periphery of the then centers of power - empires and kingdoms - the city simply could not experience any long period of sustainable development, and until the 13th century it did not go beyond the fortress walls. The territory was alternately owned by the Byzantines, Bulgarians, Greeks, and even Serbs. It was interesting to learn that the very name of the city of Berat is a distortion of the name “Belgrade” by the Turks, given by the Bulgarians in the 9th century (despite the fact that for some reason the Turks did not adapt the similar name of the Serbian capital).

By the time of the Ottoman conquest in 1417, Berat was already a prominent center of crafts and trade. Having survived a century-long period of decline, the city managed to recover. Having received administrative status in the Ottoman Empire (in 1774-1809 - the center of Berat pashalyka), and with it relatively broad economic and religious freedoms, Berat became the most big city Albania, with an abundance of craft shops (22 guilds - from woodcarvers to silversmiths), bazaars, churches and mosques, rich houses. Later, industrialization bypassed the city, and Berat was able to retain its medieval charm. Moreover, since 1961, all of the city’s historical and cultural sites (about 200 in number) have been under state protection, and Berat itself has the status of a museum city.

Despite the fact that Berat is located somewhat away from the main roads, getting there is not difficult: buses from Tirana run frequently (the main thing is to find the departure point), and the journey by car will take less than three hours:

The outpost of Berat is the town of Lushnje, which lies on the trans-Albanian highway Pristina-Durres-Gjirokastra; from there the road SH72 leads to the goal, but this last, 40-kilometer section of the route is due to repair work not easy to overcome. Those who want to start exploring Berat from the fortress should not miss the left turn at the entrance to the city limits, because it will not be possible to climb into it from the city center without extreme driving experience.

The city occupies a vast area and has a rather complex structure due to the topography of the river valley, so it is best to start the story about Berat with a small overview, supporting it visually with photographs from a commanding height. So, the Osum River divides the city into two unequal parts. Overhanging the right bank is a steep cliff 170 m high above the water's edge, on which God himself ordered the construction of a fortress - it is the historical core of the city. In one form or another, the fortress existed since Illyrian times (4th century BC), and in the 13th century, through the efforts of the Epirus despot, it turned into a serious fortification structure. Inside the fortress walls there was enough space for the functioning of the city: in addition to residential buildings and workshops, up to 20 churches could fit here. Despite the fact that the Turks rebuilt the fortress twice more, its general Byzantine appearance, ancient quarters and temples have been preserved to this day.

Already in Ottoman times, as the city developed, from the end of the 16th century, medieval districts were formed on the river terraces at the foot of the fortress - the vast, predominantly Muslim Mangalem to the east and the compact Christian Gorica to the south, already across the river. Together with the fortress itself, they form the historical center of Berat. In modern times, the city expanded both to the west and to the east of it. It is on the eastern side, at some distance from the historical one, that the modern center of Berat is located, and even further to the east new residential areas are being built. However, a map says better than a thousand words:

When entering Berat (upper left corner), the city is not impressive at first - the western suburb is rather dull and faceless, so we lose nothing by immediately turning towards the fortress along a small serpentine road. At the top of the hill - free parking"R", from which it is two steps to the entrance to the fortress-museum.

The fortress itself will be dedicated to the next post, but for now we will immediately go to point “V” - one of the towers, which you can climb for panoramic views of the valley and the city. We move counterclockwise; at 11 o'clock there is a rather picturesque view of the Osuma Valley in the lower reaches and part of the western suburbs:

The fertile floodplain soils are completely plowed, and the foothills are occupied by villages, the Slavic names of which (Remanice, Sadovice, Starov) hint at their considerable age. View at 10 o'clock:

The distant plan is covered by the characteristic Albanian “finger” mountain range Shpirag (Mal Shpirag, 1000 m). View due west, or 9 o'clock:

By 1980, a mega-inscription of hundred-meter letters “Enver” was carved on the slope in honor of who knows who. This is what it looked like in the original:

After the death of the dictator, they tried to erase the inscription using army means (explosives and napalm), but local communists managed to restore it. The conflict around this symbol has not subsided to this day, and many Albanians find the current version with the meaningless word NEVER in a foreign language inappropriate. For me, it would be better to remove it completely, because there is no point in spoiling the beautiful Albanian nature with slogans or advertising.

A new bridge over Osum connects Berat with its southern neighbor, the town of Velabisht. And on the Berat side, the entire space between the bridge and the dam is occupied by a small wholesale market, where in the morning hours all the surrounding food traders stock up. View at 7 o'clock:

The mouth of Molishta, the new bridge and the bazaar close-up:

Geographically, the Berat fortress occupies the extreme northern tip of the meridional ridge (let's call it Pernalit after the name of the nearest mountain), which opens to Berat as a spur between two river valleys. At the same time, Osum did not completely go around this ridge, but simply cut his way through the soft clay rocks between the outlier hills. So looking south from our" observation deck", at the top we can easily see the continuation of the massif, but the crevice will remain hidden from view. But there are a lot of interesting things there - the Osuma embankments and the area Goritsa. It was possible to photograph only part of this ancient area, the western one (view at 5 o’clock):

Let's try to take a closer look using zoom. The houses look authentic and have the main Berat feature - many windows:

To be completely precise, this is the area around Nikola Bukhuri Street. It is curious that most households face the street not with a facade, but with a vegetable garden, which are separated from the street by a high stone fence. A couple of houses stand out from the general background: this is the so-called. Ottoman well houses, with narrow windows only on the upper floors. We saw many of these in Gjirokaster; It turns out that they exist in other cities too:

At this point, the possibilities of our observation point have been exhausted, and to view the southern and eastern sides - the embankment, Mangalem and the new center - it would be logical to go to the southern bastion (it is even marked on the map with a " panoramic view"). However, to get to this harsh bastion

is by no means easy, so, alas, on my first visit, I was not able to please the readers with interesting angles. We filled the gap during the second trip (May 2015), however, the shooting point was no longer located in the fortress, but a little lower. View of the Osuma Valley and Republic Boulevard (southeast, or 4 hours):

Let's highlight the part of the city around the boulevard in a larger view:

The main dominant feature of the new center has recently become the pompous, Capitol-like university building (on the map - lower right corner):

University traditions in Berat are being created from scratch: in 2012, a branch of the private Albanian University was opened in a specially built building. The most prestigious place in the city was allocated for it - next to the city council and the prefecture, between the city park and the old stadium.

We point the lens strictly to the east, i.e. for 3 hours:

Here we see how the Mangalem district smoothly transitions into a new center, and in the background they stand like a wall for real high mountains with snowy peaks- ridge Tomorri(2000-2400 m). On the right side of the photo, the main street of the center cuts the frame diagonally - Antipatrea, which overlooks both the main churches of the city - the old Royal and Lead mosques, and the new Orthodox Cathedral of St. Demetrius.

We return back to 2014 and move along the eastern wall of the fortress, using the gaps between the stones and trees for shots. Through one of them, a large panorama opens to the east, but from the city only distant residential outskirts are visible here against the backdrop of hills and mountains:

IN northeast direction, urban landscapes give way to typical Mediterranean pastoral, with cypress and olive trees:

In the foreground is the building of the fortress itself. Unfortunately, not all ancient houses can be maintained in a habitable condition - as you can see in the picture, there is also some abandonment here.

Completing a full circle around the fortress, we again go out to its main portal. Then the dilemma: go down to the city on foot (with the prospect of ending the walk with a kilometer-long climb to the parking lot. But, as a bonus, you can visit the ethnographic museum, which is just along the way) or by car. The direct descent into the city is quite steep, and most importantly, it is paved with such slippery tiles that going down seems like an act of suicide:

Choosing the cautious option (the same way we arrived), we went down to the embankment and there we continued exploring Berat. The story about this will be in the third part, and in the second we will complete our acquaintance with the fortress.

Berat is a real museum city. It is located 122 km from the capital of the country - Tirana. The first mention of Berat dates back to the 3rd century BC. Today, many historical attractions have been preserved here that will be very interesting for tourists.

You should definitely check out the local fortress, built in the 14th century. Around it there are many small churches that make this architectural ensemble truly unique.

To really get a feel for the flavor of Albania, where Islam and Christianity coexist peacefully, it is worth visiting the local Muslim quarter, which is called Mangal. Stone Bridge with arched spans connects it with the Christian one, which is called Goritsa.

There are several ancient mosques in Mangalem: Lead, Royal and Bachelors. The first two were built in the 16th century, the last - in the 19th century. In Goritsa there are Christian shrines: the Church of the Holy Trinity (XIV century) and the Church of the Evangelists (XVI century).

Be sure to visit " White Hall" This place has important historical significance for Albania: the country’s first independent government was formed here.

In addition to architectural monuments, the city has museums that will also be interesting to visit. For example, in Museu i Luftes a collection of exhibits dedicated to the history of the city is exhibited. It is also worth checking out the Museum of Ethnography, which is located on the picturesque embankment.

The narrow central streets with old houses give the city a special charm. They are unusual in that such houses must have red tiles and there are always a lot of windows, which are located so that the sun's rays are constantly reflected in them during the day. For this beautiful sight, Berat was nicknamed “the city of a thousand windows.”

In addition to the attractions, you can entertain yourself in Berat with active recreation, which is represented here by mountaineering, because the city is located at the foot of a mountain range. You can also ride bicycles and horses.

Well, after the excursions and active recreation It's nice to go to a cozy restaurant for a bite to eat. These restaurants are very good national cuisine, How Mengalemi And White House.

Tired tourists can stay overnight at one of the local hotels, of which there are quite a few here. Worthy of attention Tomori, Palma, Nasho Vruho, Osumi. Recently, mini-hotels of the B&B type have begun to appear here, where in addition to overnight accommodation you will be offered breakfast.

As for the weather in Berat, it is quite comfortable throughout the year. Here in January afternoon average temperature is +10 °C, in July - +26 °C.