Regioni
Berati
Berat
is a town located in south-central Albania. It has a population of around
45,500 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the
larger County of Berat. This town lies on the right bank of the river
Osum, a short distance from the point where it is joined by the Molisht
river. It is remarkable Ottoman town, with a wealth of beautiful buildings
of the highest architectural and historical interest. The pine forests
above the city, on the slopes of the towering Tomori mountains, provide
a backdrop of appropriate grandeur. The Osumi river has cut a 915-metre
deep gorge through the limestone rock on the west side of the valley
to form a precipitous natural fortress, around which the town was built
on several river terraces. According to legend, the Tomorr mountain
was originally a giant, who fought with another giant, called Shpirag
over a young woman. They killed each other and the girl drowned in her
tears, which then became the Osum river. Mount Shpirag, named after
the second giant, is on the left bank of the gorge, above the district
of Gorica. Berati is known to Albanians as 'The City of a Thousand Windows'
a similar epithet to that sometimes applied to Gjirokastra, The City
of Two Thousand Steps, and has a mixture of Orthodox, Muslim and Vlach
inhabitants. It is a UNESCO World Heritage City.
Link:
www.beratprefecture.net
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