Fabulous Berat - “the city of a thousand windows”. Open left menu Berat Berat albania attractions

Berat from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Berat.

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Just think how many beautiful places on Earth every year elude tourists who prefer standard routes! Take Europe, for example: Prague is crowded, in Montenegro everyone will soon learn Russian as a native language, and now Paris and Rome will not surprise anyone at all. In this situation, the Balkan countries are an excellent solution for those who want to spend their holidays in comfort, but do not like long flights to exotic countries.

For those who prefer to visit unique places that have miraculously survived in the face of globalization, the Albanian city of Berat is ideal.

History paragraph

This place is made to be admired. Here you don’t want to talk, but you want to listen, absorb, remember, in order to return home in a state of “enlightenment.” The history of this city goes back more than two thousand years; we can say that the city has witnessed all important events for humanity. Civilizations changed, wars flared up and died down, and Berat still stood there, a little gloomy, but no less charming for that. The splendor of Berat comes from its nature and unique architecture.

How to get there

Getting to Berat is not difficult: just three hours from Tirana and you are there.

Search for flights to Tirana (the nearest airport to Berat)

This is interesting

The nature of Berat is subdued but beautiful. On one side the city is surrounded by the Tomor Mountains, on the other it is surrounded by the Osun River. Residential buildings are arranged in tiers, and although they are built almost side by side, they do not cause a feeling of cramping. Maybe it’s because these white houses under tiled roofs have a lot of windows? It’s not for nothing that Berat is called the “city of a thousand windows”. Although a thousand windows, of course, is a clear exaggeration. There are only 60 thousand inhabitants here, in our understanding it is difficult to even call it a city. But relaxing in the peace and quiet of a leisurely town, where everyone is a neighbor, can serve as excellent therapy for a metropolitan resident exhausted by the bustle.

Since the mid-20th century, Berat has officially become a museum city, and in 2008 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cuisine and restaurants

Berat's cuisine is simple, like everything ingenious. It is no coincidence that it is a center of trade for nearby villages. Here you can taste delicious grapes and other fruits, and buy wonderful tobacco.

Hotels

You can stay at the three-star Castle Park Hotel. This hotel offers beautiful views of the city as well as Mount Tomori. If you want to enjoy the history and culture of this place in privacy, you can book a separate cottage. Well, if you want local flavor “uncut,” rent a room from an Albanian grandmother who will feed you freshly baked harapshi pie and goat’s milk.

Guides in Berat

Entertainment and attractions in Berat

The best part is that there are attractions in Berat literally at every step. Every house is an architectural monument or a museum, every church is an ancient shrine. So it’s simply impossible to miss something important. The pearl of Berat is its fortress, which is perfectly preserved. These walls have stood here since the 6th century and remember the rule of both Christians and Muslim Turks. People still live in the houses near the fortress. And they don’t just live, but as if nothing had happened, they graze cattle, engage in crafts, and generally do not seem to notice the splendor of this fortress. Every year, lovers come to the fortress who want to get married in this place. By the way, the traditional Albanian wedding ceremony also deserves attention.

Of course, most of Berat's buildings were built during the Ottoman Empire, but Christian heritage is also respected and protected here. This is proven by the fact that, along with mosques (for example, the Lead Mosque, the Royal Mosque, the Mosque), the Church of St. Michael, the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God, the Church of the Holy Trinity, and the Church of the Evangelists have been preserved.

The most famous museum is Onufri, which contains icons and paintings. Also in Berat there is a community of dervishes - a mystical sect; you probably know their strange way of entering a trance while dancing. There are two quarters in the city - Muslim Mangalem and Christian Goritsa, they are connected by a bridge of seven arched spans.

Trip to Berat

Albanian Switzerland

Berat is called Albanian Switzerland and deservedly so. This country is reminiscent of the hilly terrain, and it would be unforgivable to come to Berat and not wander around its surroundings. You can take a bottle of local or Greek wine, warm bread bought from the peasants, and go for a picnic to the Fortress. The clear, cool water of the Osun River encourages leisurely walks along its banks. And in May you will be able to witness an amazing miracle of nature - many living lights lit by fireflies. This phenomenon can now be seen rarely in the world due to the poor environmental situation. Berat has retained the purest air to this day.

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 Fjer). 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 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.

Already from afar there is a beautiful view of 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 the modern name of the city comes from the name “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 Catholic ones). 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, interesting stories could also be told about Islam in Albania, 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...

Useful information for tourists about Berat in Albania - geographical location, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.

Berat is a city in southern Albania, located on the banks of the Osim River. Began existence in the 3rd century BC. like the Greek city of Antipatrea, a fortress city that for some time successfully repelled the onslaught of the Roman legions. The city is mentioned in the list of fortifications of Emperor Justinian.

At the entrance to this city-museum, a delightful view of the mountain and the white houses that seem to cling to it opens up. Berat is known as the “city of a thousand and one windows” due to the large number of windows in the houses, arranged in such a way that the sun reflects on them with thousands of lights.

The city is divided into Muslim and Christian quarters. The Muslim Quarter is famous for its eight historical mosques, which are architectural monuments, for example, Lead and Royal (built in the 16th century); The Bachelors Mosque (Bachelors Mosque) was built in the 19th century and now houses the Museum of Modern Art. The path from the Muslim quarter of Mangolem to the Christian quarter of Gorica passes through a stone bridge with seven arched spans. The unique architecture of the city buildings, which can be viewed while walking along the narrow and labyrinthine ancient streets, makes this place special.

Attractions

The main city attraction is the 13th century fortress towering above the city on a mountain ridge. It now houses a museum and several churches. This ancient citadel is the only structure of its kind in Albania, where people live on the territory of the fortress (and most of them to this day carry water in buckets and heat their home stoves with wood). The population of the fortress in Berat was Christian, so about twenty small churches were built on its territory. One of them, the most beautiful and famous, is the Church of the Holy Trinity. It was built in a very unusual way - on a slope, in such a way that one gets the impression that it is hanging over a cliff, and below, directly below it, the city and the river itself lie.

In the Museum of Ethnography, which is located in the fortress in an ancient two-story building, the exhibition consists of collections of clothing, household items, weapons, as well as moonshine stills, devices for grinding grain and much more. The museum has brochures and signs in Russian, and the guides speak excellent English.

The most famous museum in Berat is the Onufri Icon Painting Museum, where you can see 173 works of Albanian icon painters, painted from the 14th to the 20th century.

All hotels are located near the center. Berat also has several five-star hotels, as well as many mini-hotels.

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 mid-20th century, Berat was officially recognized as a museum city, and in 2008 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as an example of development 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. Moreover, they are at different levels, and only the windows catch the 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 a southerly 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 a 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 of Modern 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 the best restaurants and cafes in the city. 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.