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| 0420 Berat |
Posted on 17.12.2012, 27.07.2015
Berat and Gjirokastra bear outstanding testimony to the diversity of urban societies in the Balkans, and to longstanding ways of life which have today almost vanished. On the other hand, the two towns preserved the various types of monument and vernacular urban housing during the Classical Ottoman period, in continuity with the various Medieval cultures which preceded it, and in a state of peaceful coexistence with a large Christian minority, particularly at Berat.
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| 1788 Gjirokastra |
Located in south-central Albania, the town of Berat has a history of more than 2500 years, being named by the ancient Greeks city of Antipater, by the Romans Antipatrea, by the Byzantines Pulcheriopolis, by the Venetians Belgrad di Romania, and by the Ottomans Belgrad-i Arnavud (Albanian Belgrade) to distinguish it from Belgrade. The origin of the current name is the Slavic Bel(i)grad, meaning "white city". It bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries. It features a castle (Kala), most of which was built in the 13th century, although its origins date back to the 4th century BC.
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