Travel - Durres

November 2019 · 3 min read

Hi steemians.

Yesterday, this amazing city was hit by an earthquake, so I decided to show you its beauty.

We visited Albania a few years ago. On holiday, we planned to get to know the country, but also to relax by the sea, and therefore, on the first day, in addition to exploring the sea, we explored the possibility of optional trips offered by the travel agency and immediately plan the schedule for each day.

Even though the travel agency offered us a trip to the oldest city of Albania - Durrës, we decided to try public transport and go on our own. The city was only 30 minutes away from our hotel.

After arriving at the bus station we chose towards the port, which is the largest in Albania, where our first tourist destination was located in Durres - Venetian Bastion. It dates back to the 15th century and was part of the city fortifications.

It currently houses a restaurant. After a short tour and a few photos we turned back to the inland, the city center.

After a while we walked past the town hall and walked to the square with palm trees and a fountain in the middle.

On the left side we saw the landmark of the city - the Great Mosque (Xhamia e re Durrёs). Of course we could not forgive our visit to this mosque and we went inside with a group of Czech tourists. The word great fits her perfectly. During the time of Enver Hodja, all religions were banned in Albania. Albania has become the first atheist republic in the world. Mosques and churches were painted, all religious symbols removed and turned into grain stores, marketplace, cinemas, sports halls ... In short, the whole of Albania was eating, buying and doing sports, but who knew whether it was seen in athletes' performances? There were only a few intact mosques throughout the country that retained their traditional appearance in the interior. The Great Mosque in Durres, which they built in 1938, was not one of them.

From the Grand Mosque, we headed to a Byzantine forum from the 5th century, which was only one street further away.

We passed the Byzantine Forum and went to the main destination of today's trip, to the Roman amphitheater of 2 century AD.

At the time of its greatest glory, it was one of the largest arenas in the Balkans with a capacity of 20,000 spectators.

It is open to the public for a small fee. In his bowels preserved a beautiful Christian mosaic from the 7th century, dedicated to St. Astius, the first bishop and martyr of Durres.

Around the city walls we went to the sea, where there is a large promenade with restaurants. We tried one right away.

Albanians built their Everest on the promenade. It is a voyage to the sea with a view of the entire promenade and the coast in Durres.

Above the city, on the hill rises the palace of King Zoga. Ahmed Zogu was first prime minister, then president, and from 1928 to 1939 king of Albania.