Tirana - Durres and to Ilirias

Sunday May 11, 2025 - 204km and 1,358m of climbing!

I continue my adventure in Albania, the country of the two headed eagle was carried by Skanderbeg to unify his people throughout the 15th century in its struggle against the threats of the Ottoman empire.

The eagle dates back to the Roman days when it split in two, with West and East Roman part of the Roman empire having different emperors.. ie: one empire with two heads looking in opposite directions.

Durres, the second largest city of Albania, dates back to 627 BC when it was founded as the Greek city of Epidamos, it them became the Roman city of Dyrrachium and an important trading center and base for the roman legions.

After changing hands several times it became the capital of Albania in 1272.

Between the 14th and 15th century it became part of the maritime empire of the Republic of Venice and then fell under Ottoman rule.

When Albania regained its independence in 1912 Durres once again became its capital but this was shorlived when the capital was moved to Tirana in 1920.

Today Durres has two faces. One is as a seaside vacation resort and the other as a busy port town for working people.

Freedom Square 

In the city center we find Freedom Square with its palm trees and fountains. Freedom carries a special meaning in a country that has endured the most brutal and far reaching from of communism anywhere under its ruthless leader Enver Hoxha who ruled from 1944 until his death in 1985.

The nearby mosque was built in 1931 on the site of an older mosque from ottoman times. During communist times when the Hoxha regime banned all forms of religion the mosque was turned into a youth center. It was only in 1993 that the mosque returned to its original vocation after the end of communism.

Venitian tower 

We also find the city walls built at the turn of the 5th and 6th century and the Venetian tower that was part of a larger set of fortifications that have now disappeared.