Description
Known as the 'Museum City', Berati is undoubtedly a 'must see' for any traveller visiting Albania. Being more than 2400 years old the town of Berati is one of the most attractive towns in Albania, rich in architecture, culture and history. Berati is also blessed with a dramatic location -- situated at the foot of Mount Tomorri on the shores of the River Osumi. The 'Town of one Thousand Windows' is most famous for its white-washed houses which with their many windows seem to have been built on top of each other. Built almost all in white on a slope of green with the river at its feet, it offers a striking view as soon as it becomes visible. Established in the 3rd century BC by an Illyrian tribe from central Albania who built a protective castle, it was known as the fortified city of Antipatrea. In 1417 the town was occupied by the Turks who built several mosques in the area below the town's old castle. Attractions in Berati The old town of Berati retains a unique style of architecture with its narrow and stone paved streets -- ideal for exploration on foot. The castle is the only one in Albania (and perhaps one of the few in the world) that still has houses and inhabitants within its walls, each going about their daily life in exactly the same way that their predecessors did centuries ago. Within the castle one can visit Byzantine churches built as early as the 13th century AD Berati also offers a mixture of Christian and Islamic places of worship including several <b>...</b> |
