Not to be confused with Borat.

Berat

Municipality
 Photomontage of Berat

Emblem

Berat

Coordinates: 40°42′08″N 19°57′30″E

Country Albania
County Berat

Government

• Mayor Ervin Demo (PS)

Area

• Municipality 380.21 km2 (146.80 sq mi)

Population
(2011)

• Municipality 60,031

• Municipality 160/km2 (410/sq mi)

density

• Municipal 36,496
unit

Demonym(s) Beratase (f)

Beratas (m)

Time zone UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer UTC+2 (CEST)

(DST)

Postal Code 5001-5006

Area Code (0)11

Website bashkiaberat.gov.al

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Official name Historic Centres of Berat

 and Gjirokastra

Type Cultural

Criteria iii, iv

Designated 2005

Reference no. 569

Region Berat County

Europe 2005–present

Berat (Albanian: [ˈbɛˈɾat]; definite Albanian form: Berati) is the ninth most populous
city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality.[1] By air, it is 71 kilometres
(44 miles) north of Gjirokastër, 70 kilometres (43 miles) west of Korçë, 70 kilometres (43 miles)
south of Tirana, and 33 kilometres (21 miles) east of Fier.
Berat is located in the south of the country. It is surrounded by mountains and hills,
including Tomorr on the east that was declared a national park. The river Osum (total length
161 km (100 mi)) runs through the city before it empties into the Seman within the Myzeqe
Plain. The municipality of Berat was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger
of the former municipalities Berat, Otllak, Roshnik, Sinjë, and Velabisht, that became municipal
units. The seat of the municipality is the city Berat.[1] The total population is 60,031 (2011
census),[a][3] in a total area of 380.21 km2 (146.80 sq mi).[4] The population of the former
municipality at the 2011 census was 32,606.[3]
Berat, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, comprises a unique style
of architecture with influences from several civilizations that have managed to coexist for
centuries throughout the history. Like many cities in Albania, Berat comprises an old fortified
city filled with churches and mosques painted with grandiose wealth of
visible murals and frescos. Berat is one of the main cultural centres of the country.[5]

Etymology[edit]
The name Berat has been derived through Albanian sound changes from the Old Slavonic
language Bělgrad (Бѣлградъ) or Belgrád / Beligrad (Белград / Белиград), meaning "White
City".[6][7]
It is believed to have been the site of the ancient city Antipatreia (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιπάτρεια,
"City of Antipater") or Antipatrea in Latin, while during the early Byzantine Empire the name of
the town was Pulcheriopolis (Byzantine Greek: Πουλχεριόπολις, "City of Pulcheria").[8][9][6] It
was recorded in Medieval Latin as Belogradum, Bellegradum, in Turkish as Belgrad,
in Italian as Belgrado,[6] and in Greek as Βελλέγραδα, Bellegrada.[citation needed] In the Republic of
Venice the city was known as Belgrado di Romania ("Rumelian Belgrade"), while in
the Ottoman Empire it was also known as Belgrad-i Arnavud ("Albanian Belgrade") to
distinguish it from Belgrade in Serbia.[8]
Today, in Aromanian, Berat is known as Birat.[10]

History[edit]
Early development[edit]
Ceramic finds from the 7th century BCE initially attest to a settlement of the rocky hill of Berat
by the Illyrians.[11] Berat has been identified with ancient Antipatrea.[12] Probably since the mid-
4th century BCE the Illyrians went through a dynamic development, founding their own cities
like Dimale and Byllis; however it is uncertain whether this development among Illyrians
involved also Berat, or whether the foundation of the city is to be attributed
to Cassander of Macedon.[13] The founding date is unknown, although if Cassander is the
founder, it would date back after he took control of southern Illyria around 314 BCE.[12]
Antipatrea was involved in the Illyrian Wars and Macedonian Wars,[14] and it is mentioned as a
city of Dassaretia in southern Illyria. Along with Chrysondyon, Gertous and Creonion,
Antipatrea was one of the Dassaretan towns around which the Illyrian dynast Skerdilaidas and
the Macedonian king Philip V fought in 217 BCE. The city eventually was conquered by Philip
V until Roman intervention.[15][16] Antipatrea was described as the largest settlement with
significant walls and referred to as the only urbs in the area, in contrast with other settlements
that were described as castella or oppida.[17] As reported by Roman historian Livy, in 200 BCE
the Roman legatus Lucius Apustius "stormed and subdued Antipatrea by force of arms and, after
killing the men of military age and granting all the plunder to the soldiers, he demolished the
walls and burned the city".[18][14] In Roman times it was included within Epirus Nova, in
the province of Macedonia.[19] The town became part of the unstable frontier of the Byzantine
Empire following the fall of the western Roman Empire and, along with much of the rest of
the Balkan peninsula, it suffered from repeated invasions by Slavs. During the Roman and early
Byzantine period, the city was known as Pulcheriopolis.
The First Bulgarian Empire under Presian I captured the town in the 9th century, and the city
received the Slavic name Bel[i]grad ("White City"), Belegrada (Βελέγραδα) in Greek, which
persisted throughout the medieval period, changing to Berat under Ottoman rule. The town
became one of the most important towns in the Bulgarian region Kutmichevitsa. The Bulgarian
governor Elemag surrendered the city to the emperor Basil II in 1018, and the city remained in
Byzantine hands until the Second Bulgarian Empire retook the city in 1203 during the rule
of Kaloyan. During the 13th century, it fell to Michael I Ducas, the ruler of the Despotate of
Epirus.
The entrance of the citadel, with the 13th century Byzantine Holy Trinity Church
Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos sent letters to the Albanian leaders of Berat
and Durrës in 1272 asking them to abandon their alliance with Charles I of Naples, leader of
the Kingdom of Albania, who had captured and incorporated it at the same period in the
Kingdom of Albania.[20][21][22] However, they sent the letters to Charles as a sign of their loyalty.
[23]
In 1274 Michael VIII recaptured Berat and after being joined by Albanians who supported the
Byzantine Empire, marched unsuccessfully against the Angevin capital of Durrës.[24] In 1280-
1281 the Sicilian forces under Hugh the Red of Sully laid siege to Berat. In March 1281 a relief
force from Constantinople under the command of Michael Tarchaneiotes was able to drive off
the besieging Sicilian army.[25] Later in the 13th century Berat again fell under the control of the
Byzantine Empire.
The fortress of Tomorr in the early 14th century is attested as Timoro(n) under Byzantine
control. In 1337, the Albanian tribes which lived in the areas of Belegrita (the region of Mt.
Tomorr near Berat) and Kanina rose in rebellion, and seized the fortress of Tomorr.[26][27]
[28]
There is little detail about the rebellion in primary sources. John VI Kantakouzenos mentions
that the Albanians in those areas rebelled despite the privileges which Andronikos III
Palaiologos had given them a few years earlier.[27] These events marked the movement of these
Albanian tribes into Epirus for the first time.[28] Andronikos led an army mainly composed of
Turkish mercenaries, and defeated the Albanians, killing many and taking prisoners.[27] In 1345
(or maybe 1343) the town passed to the Serbian Empire.[29] After its dissolution in 1355 Berat
came under suzerainty of its former governor, John Komnenos Asen (1345-1363), Alexander
Komnenos Asen (1363-1372) and Zeta of Balša II (1372-1385). In 1385 Berat was captured by
the Ottomans, before the Battle of Savra. According to some sources, the Ottomans probably
remained in Berat for some time with intention to use it as foothold to capture Valona. [30] By
1396, the Albanian Muzaka family took over control of Berat which became the capital of
the Principality of Berat.[31][32] In 1417 Berat became a part of the Ottoman Empire.[33] In
1455 Skanderbeg, a commander with an Albanian force of 14,000 and small number of Catalan
soldiers unsuccessfully tried to capture Berat from an Ottoman force of 40,000.[34]
Modern period[edit]

Halveti Tekke
During the early period of Ottoman rule, Berat fell into severe decline.[dubious – discuss] By the end of
the 16th century it had only 710 houses. However, it began to recover by the 17th century, and
became a major craft centre specializing in wood carving.
During the first part of the sixteenth century, Berat was a Christian city and did not contain any
Muslim households.[35] The urban population of this period (1506-1583) increased little, with the
addition of 17 houses.[36] Following their expulsion and arrival from Spain, a Jewish
community existed in Berat that consisted of 25 families between 1519 and 1520.[37][38]
Toward the latter part of the sixteenth century, Berat contained 461 Muslim houses and another
187 belonged to newcomers from the surrounding villages of Gjeqar, Gjerbës, Tozhar, Fratar,
and Dobronik.[36] Conversion to Islam of the local urban population in Berat had increased during
this time and part of the newcomer population were also Muslim converts who had Islamic
names and Christian surnames.[36] Factors such as tax exemptions for Muslim urban craftsmen in
exchange for military service drove many of the incoming rural first generation Muslim
population to Berat.[39] Followers of Sabbatai Zevi existed in Berat among Jews during the mid-
sixteenth century.[38] The Berat Jewish community took an active role in the welfare of other
Jews, such as managing to attain the release of war-related captives present in Durrës in 1596. [38]
By the early seventeenth century, urban life in Berat started to resemble Ottoman and Muslim
patterns.[40] From 1670 onward, Berat became a Muslim-majority city and of its 30
neighbourhoods, 19 were populated by Muslims.[41] Factors attributed to the change of the urban
religious composition in Berat was pressure to covert in some neighbourhoods, and a lack of
Christian priests able to provide religious services.[41]

The city of Berat in 1813, illustration by Charles Robert Cockerell (1788-1863).

In the 18th century, Berat was one of the most important Albanian cities during
the Ottoman period.[42]
In the early modern era the city was the capital of the Pashalik of Berat founded by Ahmet Kurt
Pasha. Berat was incorporated in the Pashalik of Yanina after Ibrahim Pasha of Berat was
defeated by Ali Pasha in 1809. In 1867, Berat became a sanjak in Yannina (Yanya) vilayet. Berat
replaced a declining Vlorë as centre of the sanjak (province) in the nineteenth century.[43] The
sanjak of Berat and the city itself were under the dominance of the Albanian Vrioni family.
[43]
The Jewish community of Yanina renewed the Jewish community of Berat in the nineteenth
century.[38]
Berat depicted by Edward Lear, 15 October 1848.[44]
A Greek school was operating in the city already from 1835.[45] In the late Ottoman period, the
population of Berat was 10–15,000 inhabitants, with Orthodox Christians numbering some 5,000
people of whom 3,000 spoke the Aromanian language and the rest the Albanian language.[46][47]
During the 19th century, Berat played an important part in the Albanian national revival.
Christian merchants in Berat supported the Albanian movement.[48] The Albanian revolts of
1833–1839 greatly impacted the city, especially with revolts that occurred in October 1833. The
city's castle was surrounded by 10,000 people. Berat's mütesellim, Emin Aga, was forced to
leave the city in the hands of the revolt's leaders. On October 22, 1833 the revolt's leaders drafted
their requests to the Sublime Porte: they would no longer accept allow that Berat give soldiers to
the Ottoman government. They also demanded that Albania's local administration be led by
Albanian people. The Ottoman government accepted the rebels' requests and nominated some
Albanian officials in the city and declared an amnesty as well.[49] In August 1839 a new uprising
took place in Berat. The inhabitants attacked the Ottoman forces and besieged them in the castle.
Meanwhile, the rebellion spread out to the regions of Sanjak of Vlorë. The rebels leaders sent a
petition to Sultan Abdulmejid I to have Albanian officials in administration and to put Ismail
Pasha, the nephew of Ali Pasha as a general governor. In September 1839 the rebels captured the
castle, however once again the Ottoman government postponed the application of reforms in
Albania.[50]
Berat became a major base of support for the League of Prizren, the late 19th century Albanian
nationalist alliance, while the city was also represented in the formation of southern branch of the
league in Gjirokastër.[51] In the First World War, a census by Austro-Hungarian occupation
forces counted 6745 Orthodox Christians and 20,919 Muslims in the Berat region.[52]
20th and 21st century[edit]
During the Second World War, Jews were concealed in the homes and basements of 60 families
from the Muslim and Christian communities in Berat.[37] Albanian Muslims in the city let Jewish
people worship in the local mosque, and a Star of David can still be seen on the walls of the
city's main Islamic place of worship.[53]
From 23 to 30 October 1944, the second session of the Council of National Liberation of Albania
was held in Berat, where the National Liberation Movement-controlled Anti-Fascist National
Liberation Committee became the Provisional Democratic Government of Albania, with Enver
Hoxha as its prime minister and minister of defence.
During the Communist era, Berat became a place of internal exile for those who were deemed
public enemies, and their families. Starting in the 1950s, the village served as a political
internment center from which the internees could not leave without permission.[54] Each day,
internees were required to sign up at the Security Office or the police.[54] In 1963, a Deportation-
Internment Commission report indicated that there were 30 interned in Berat, which consisted in
part of internees those interned due to risk of escape.[54] The rest are convicted for ordinary
causes. In 1967, Albanian author Ismail Kadare was sent to Berat, where he spent two years.[55]
[56]
Relatives of those who had fled abroad, or sympathized with Titoist Yugoslavia were also
deported to Berat.[57][58][59]
In the modern period, a Romani community numbering 200-300 lives in Berat and its outskirts
whereas others in a few nearby villages, at times living in difficult economic circumstances with
some seasonally migrating to Greece for work.[60][61] Some Aromanian-speakers and Greek-
speakers can be found in the town and nearby villages.[62]

Geography[edit]

Berat
Berat lies on the right bank of the river Osum, a short distance from the point where it is joined
by the Molisht river. The old city centre consists of three parts: Kalaja (on the castle hill),
Mangalem (at the foot of the castle hill) and Gorica (on the left bank of the Osum). It has a
number of buildings of architectural and historical interest. The pine forests above the city, on
the slopes of the towering Tomorr 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 an Albanian legend, the Tomorr mountain was originally a giant, who fought with
another giant (mountain) 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. Berat is known to Albanians as the city of "One above another Windows" (a similar
epithet is sometimes applied to Gjirokastra), or The City of Two Thousand Steps. It was
proclaimed a 'Museum City' by the dictator Enver Hoxha in June 1961.
Climate[edit]
Berat has a Mediterranean climate (Csa) under the Köppen climate classification.[63][64]
[65]
Summers are characterised as hot and dry with a maximum average of 28.2 °C (82.8 °F) in
July.[64] Conversely, winter brings mild and wet weather with an average of 7.2 °C (45.0 °F) in
January.[64] The lowest minimum temperature recorded in Berat was estimated at −12.2 °C
(10.0 °F) and its highest maximum temperature at 47.1 °C (116.8 °F).[64]

hideClimate data for Berat (1991 - 2010)

A
Ja Fe M M Ju Ju A Se Oc No De Ye
Month p
n b ar ay n l ug p t v c ar
r

3 38 43 44 43 42 44
25 27 29 35 30 28
Record high 4 (1 (1 (1 (1 (1 (1
(7 (8 (8 (9 (8 (8
°C (°F) (9 00 09 11 09 08 11
7) 1) 4) 5) 6) 2)
3) ) ) ) ) ) )

14 15 17 25 30 33 33 29 15 23
2
.4 .3 .1 .3 .4 .4 .6 .2 24 20 .8 .4
Average high 2
(5 (5 (6 (7 (8 (9 (9 (8 (7 (6 (6 (7
°C (°F) (7
7. 9. 2. 7. 6. 2. 2. 4. 5) 8) 0. 4.
2)
9) 5) 8) 5) 7) 1) 5) 6) 4) 1)

2. 2. 4. 17 20 20 17 12 9. 3. 11
1
0 1 2 13 .8 .3 .0 .0 .5 3 5 .0
Average low 0
(3 (3 (3 (5 (6 (6 (6 (6 (5 (4 (3 (5
°C (°F) (5
5. 5. 9. 5) 4. 8. 8. 2. 4. 8. 8. 1.
0)
6) 8) 6) 0) 5) 0) 6) 5) 7) 3) 7)

−1 − −1
−9 −4 3 8 14 12 6 0 −3 −8
Record low 0 1 0
(1 (2 (3 (4 (5 (5 (4 (3 (2 (1
°C (°F) (1 (3 (1
6) 5) 7) 6) 7) 4) 3) 2) 7) 8)
4) 0) 4)
 1,
9
14 15 10 19 19 09
Average prec 7 65 20 4 5 30 80
5 2 8 0 8 4
ipitation mm (3 (2. (0. (0. (0. (1. (3.
(5. (6. (4. (7. (7. (4
(inches) .8 6) 8) 2) 2) 2) 1)
7) 0) 3) 5) 8) 3.
)
2)

Source: METEOALB Weather Station

Economy[edit]
By the 18th century the economy and society of Berat was closely connected to the city's craft
guilds partly related to various tax exemptions that existed since the late Middle Ages. By 1750
there were twenty-two guilds, the most important of which were the tanners', the cobblers' and
other leather-working guilds. Other guilds included metal-working, silver-smithing and silk-
making ones.[42]
Present-day Berat houses Albania's military industry with the nearby Kuçovë base and Poliçan
factory as well as a developing tourist economy as of recent years thanks to its historical sites.
[citation needed]

Culture[edit]
Landmarks[edit]
See also: Tourist attractions in Berat
 Panorama of Berat
The coexistence of religious and cultural communities over several centuries, beginning in the
4th century BC into the 18th century is apparent in Berat. The town also bears testimony to the
architectural excellence of traditional Balkan housing construction, which date to the late 18th
and the 19th centuries. Some of the landmarks of that historical period could be seen in the Berat
Castle, churches of the Byzantine era such as the Church of St. Mary of Blaherna (13th century),
the Bachelors' Mosque, the National Ethnographic Museum, the Sultan's Mosque (built between
1481 and 1512), Leaden Mosque (built in 1555) and the Gorica Bridge.[66][67][68][69]

View of the Citadel of Berat

Berat Castle is built on a rocky hill on the right bank of the river Osum and is accessible only
from the south. After being burned down by the Romans in 200 BC the walls were strengthened
in the 5th century under Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II, and were rebuilt during the 6th
century under the Emperor Justinian I and again in the 13th century under the Despot of
Epirus, Michael Komnenos Doukas, cousin of the Byzantine Emperor. The main entrance, on the
north side, is defended by a fortified courtyard and there are three smaller entrances. The surface
that the fortress encompasses made it possible to house a considerable portion of the town's
inhabitants. The buildings inside the fortress were built during the 13th century and because of
their characteristic architecture are preserved as cultural monuments. The population of the
fortress was Christian, and it had about 20 churches (most built during the 13th century) and only
one mosque, for the use of the Muslim garrison, (of which there survives only a few ruins and
the base of the minaret). The churches of the fortress have been damaged through the years and
only some remain.[citation needed]
The Church of St. Mary of Blachernae dating from the 13th century, has 16th century mural
paintings by Nikollë Onufri, son of the most important post-medieval Albanian painter, Onufri.
In a small tree - planted square, on a hillside inside the walls of the fortress, stands the 14th
century Church of the Holy Trinity. It is built in the form of a cross and has Byzantine murals.
Outside the ramparts is the Church of St. Michael (Shën Mehill), built in the 13th century. This
church is reached by a steep but perfectly safe path. Near the entrance, after a guardhouse, is the
little Church of St. Theodore (Shen Todher), which have wall paintings by Onufri himself. The
most interesting is the cathedral of St. Nicholas, which has been well restored and is now a
museum dedicated to Onufri. Onufri was the greatest of the 16th century painters in Albania. Not
only was he a master of the techniques of fresco and icons, but he was the first to introduce a
new colour in painting, shiny red, which the French called "Onufri's Red". In addition, Onufri
introduced a certain realism and a degree of individuality in facial expression. [70]

The UNESCO Site of Berat.

The first inscription recording Onufri's name was found in 1951, in the Shelqan church. The
Kastoria church has a date 23 July 1547 and a reference to Onufri's origin : I am Onufri, and
come from the town of Berat. Onufri's style in painting was inherited by his son, Nikolla
(Nicholas), though not so successful as his father. In Onufri's museum can be found works of
Onufri, his son, Nikolla and other painters'. There are also numbers of icons and some fine
examples of religious silversmith's work (sacred vessels, icon casings, covers of Gospel books,
etc.). Berat Gospels, which date from the 4th century, are copies (the originals are preserved in
the National Archives in Tirana). The church itself has an iconostasis of carved wood, with two
icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The bishop's throne and the pulpit are also notable. Near the
street running down from the fortress is the Bachelors' Mosque (Xhami e Beqareve), built in
1827. This has a portico and external decoration of flowers, plants, and houses. The 'Bachelors'
were the young shop-assistants (in practice generally unmarried), whom the merchants in Berat
used as their own private militia.[citation needed]
The King Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Mbretit), the oldest in the town built in the reign
of Bayazid II (1481–1512),[5] is notable for its fine ceiling. It is museum in the modern period.[5]
The Lead Mosque (Xhamia e Plumbit), built in 1555 and so called from the covering of its
cupola. This mosque is the centre of the town.[71]

Berat as seen from the Castle.

The Halveti Tekke (Teqe e Helvetive) is thought to have been built in the 15th century. It was
rebuilt by Ahmet Kurt Pasha in 1782. It belongs to the Khalwati Sufi order. It is composed of the
prayer hall with a square plan, a small ambience for special religious services and a gracious
portico in front of the entrance to the prayer hall. In the prayer hall is a mafil carved in wood and
decorated. On the eastern side of the prayer hall is the mihrab decorated with stone stalactites.
The inner walls have been decorated with eight frescoes, depicting dwelling
houses, Muslim religious buildings and landscapes.[citation needed]
The walls below the frescoes are covered by holes that improve the acoustics in the prayer hall.
The ceiling of the prayer hall is made of wood and is decorated with paintings. The ceiling has
been decorated in the Baroque style adopted in Islamic art and is covered with 14 carat gold
plates. The inner decorations were carried out by Master Dush Barka. Attached to the prayer hall
is a room in which once was the mausoleum of Ahmet Kurt Pasha and his son. The portico of the
tekke has five stone columns which were taken from the ancient Greek city of Apollonia. Above
the main door in the portico is an inscription dedicated to the values of the tekke and to Ahmet
Kurt Pasha.[72] Monuments dating to the late Ottoman period from the Albanian Vrioni family
exist such as the gate to a former palace and a tomb, other monuments are from the Vlora family.
[43]

Near of tekke is purported to be the grave of Sabbatai Zevi, an Ottoman Jew who was banished
to Dulcigno (present day Ulcinj), who created controversy among his followers upon his
conversion to Islam.[citation needed]
A Jewish history museum named "Solomon Museum" is located in southern Berat, and contains
exhibits about the Holocaust in Albania and the survival of Jews during the war in the country.[37]
The Ethnographic Museum
The town is known for its historic architecture and scenery and is known as the "Town of a
Thousand Windows", due to the many large windows of the old decorated houses overlooking
the town.[citation needed]
It is unclear whether it really means "Thousand" (një mijë) or "One over Another" (një mbi një)
windows. Indeed, the quarter is built in a very steep place and windows seem to be one over
another. Similar views can be seen in Melnik, Bulgaria, Gjirokastër in Albania, as well
as Catanzaro in Italy, where an Albanian minority once lived.[citation needed]
The Citadel overlooks the river and the modern city as well as the old Christian quarter across
the river. It is a well preserved area containing narrow streets, Turkish houses and Orthodox
churches.[citation needed]

The Onufri Museum

Modern Berat consists of three parts divided by the Osum River: Gorica ("little mountain" in Old
Church Slavonic), Mangalem and Kalaja, the latter being a residential quarter within the old
Byzantine citadel that overlooks the town. The town also has a 15th-century mosque and a
number of churches of the Albanian Orthodox Church, whose autocephaly was proclaimed there
in 1922. Several of the churches house works by the renowned 16th century painter Onufri.[citation
needed]
The St. Michael's Church of Berat
Berat National Ethnographic Museum opened in 1979.[68] It contains a diversity of everyday
objects from throughout Berat's history. The museum contains non-movable furniture which hold
a number of household objects, wooden case, wall-closets, as well as chimneys and a well. Near
the well is an olive press, wool press and many large ceramic dishes, revealing a glimpse of the
historical domestic culture of Berat's citizens.[68] The ground floor has a hall with a model of a
medieval street with traditional shops on both sides. On the second floor is an archive, loom,
village sitting room, kitchen and sitting room.[66][69][73]
Gorica Bridge, which connects two parts of Berat, was originally built from wood in 1780 and
was rebuilt with stone in the 1920s.[67] The seven-arch bridge is 129 metres (423 ft) long and 5.3
metres (17 ft) wide and is built about 10 metres (33 ft) above the average water level.
[67]
According to local legend, the original wooden bridge contained a dungeon in which a girl
would be incarcerated and starved to appease the spirits responsible for the safety of the bridge.
[66][67]

Education[edit]
In addition to secondary schools, the city hosted the Albanian University in Berat, a private
institution that terminated its programs in 2019.
Sports[edit]
The football (soccer) club is KS Tomori Berat.

Twin towns – sister cities[edit]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Albania
Berat is twinned with:

 Amasya, Amasya Province, Turkey[74]

 Bağcılar, Istanbul, Turkey[75]