Pogradec 

(Albanian pronunciation: [pɔɡɾaˈdɛt͡s]) is the eleventh most populous city of the Republic of

Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a narrow plain between two
mountain chains along the southwestern banks of the Lake of Ohrid. Its climate is profoundly
influenced by a seasonal Mediterranean and Continental climate. The total population is 61,530, of
which 20,848 in the municipal unit (the pre-2015 municipality) Pogradec (2011 census).[2]
Pogradec and its surroundings were listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site as part of
the natural and cultural heritage of the region of Ohrid.[3] Nevertheless, the Illyrian Royal Tombs in
the adjacent unit of Proptisht are on the Albanian tentative list for becoming a World Heritage Site.[4]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
 4Economy
 5Culture
 6Twin towns – sister cities
 7References
 8External links

Etymology[edit]
The name of the town is Eastern South Slavic in origin.[5] Pogradec comes
from Po(d) (under/beneath) and Gradec (town, city, castle or fortified settlement) and means literally
"under the city". This is a reference to the ancient Illyrian settlement, which was situated on a hill
above the contemporary region of Pogradec. In the medieval period during the Ottoman occupation,
the town was known as İstarova or İstarye during Ottoman rule and was bounded to as kaza center
in Görice Sanjak of Manastır Vilayet before Balkan Wars.[6][7]

History[edit]

Beach of Pogradec

From the 8th until the 14th century, Pogradec area was captured by various medieval states such as
the Bulgarian, Byzantine and Serbian Empires as well as by noble Albanian families such as Gropa.
In the middle of 15th century the area became part of Skanderbeg state and after his death in 1468,
it was invaded by the Ottomans who kept it until Albania's Independence in 1912. During their
occupation Pogradec was the center of the kaza of Starova and was developed as a small town of
craftsmen and fishermen. When the Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi visited the area in 1662 he wrote
that "Pogradec was a sweet city with red roofs, four neighborhoods, four mosques, two elementary
schools, six hundred houses and one hundred and fifty shops".
During the second half of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, Pogradec area played
an important role in the Albanian National Renaissance. In 14 March 1887 the second Albanian
language school was started here.

Pogradec along Lake Ohrid

During WWI Pogradec became a battlefield divided between the enemy fronts. From 1914 until 1920
Austro-Hungarian, Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian and French armies, captured the city replacing each-
other from time to time.