Berat

Berat is the ninth most populous city of Albania and serves as the seat of both Berat County and Berat Municipality. Located in the south of the country, the municipality spans a total area of 421.6 square kilometres and has a population of 62,232 as of the 2023 census.

The city's landscape is defined by surrounding mountains and hills, including Mount Tomorr on the east, which has been declared a national park. Through this rugged terrain runs the river Osum, stretching for a total length of 161 kilometres before it empties into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain.

Ceramic finds from the 7th century BCE initially attest to Illyrian settlement upon the rocky hill where the city stands. Over subsequent centuries, the settlement endured numerous conflicts, including Roman intervention in 200 BCE when the walls were demolished and the city was burned. During the medieval period under the First Bulgarian Empire, the settlement acquired the Slavic name Bel[i]grad, meaning White City, which ultimately evolved into Berat under Ottoman rule.

As a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, the municipality comprises an old fortified city filled with churches and mosques bearing visible murals and frescos. The historic Berat Castle itself sits upon a rocky hill on the right bank of the river Osum, featuring fortifications that were rebuilt under various Byzantine and imperial rulers throughout history.

Mountains and rivers

Berat is located in the south of Albania and serves as the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. The settlement is surrounded by mountains and hills, including Tomorr on the east, which was declared a national park.

The river Osum runs through the city before it empties into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain. Under the Köppen climate classification, the municipality features a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

Berat is the ninth most populous city of Albania and serves as the seat of both Berat County and Berat Municipality. Situated in the south of the country, the municipality encompasses a total area of 421.6 square kilometres and recorded a total population of 62,232 in the 2023 census.

Surrounded by mountains and hills, the city rests in a landscape defined by the Osum river, which runs through the area before emptying into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain. The towering Tomorr mountains stand to the east, featuring pine forests on their slopes that provide a backdrop of appropriate grandeur, while the nearby Mount Shpirag rises on the left bank of the gorge. The Osumi river has cut a 915-metre deep gorge through the limestone rock on the west side of the valley, forming a precipitous natural fortress around which the town was built on several river terraces.

Berat is the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality in the south of Albania, functioning as one of the country's main cultural centres with a population of 62,232. Surrounded by mountains and hills, the city occupies a landscape defined by the Osum river, which runs through the area before emptying into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain.

The municipal geography is shaped by the towering Tomorr mountains on the east, where the pine forests on the slopes provide a backdrop for the settlement. Mount Shpirag sits on the left bank of the gorge above the district of Gorica, opposing Mount Tomorr across the valley. The Osumi river has carved a 915-metre deep gorge through the limestone rock on the west side of the valley, creating a natural fortress around which the town was built on several river terraces.

The old city centre encompasses three distinct parts: Kalaja on the castle hill, Mangalem at the foot of the castle hill, and Gorica on the left bank of the Osum river. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, the urban landscape features a unique architectural style influenced by several civilizations that coexisted for centuries.

Landscape and Climate

Berat is located in the south of Albania. The municipality has a total population of 62,232 as of the 2023 census within a total area of 421.6 square kilometres.

Surrounding mountains and hills

Mount Tomorr on the east

River Osum running through the city

Empties into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain

Landscape and Climate

Berat is situated in the south of Albania, positioned as the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. The settlement is home to a population of 62,232 people as recorded by the 2023 census, inhabiting a total area of 421.6 square kilometres.

Surrounded by hills and mountains, the landscape features the Tomorr mountain range on the east, which has been designated a national park. Flowing through the city is the Osum river, possessing a total length of 161 kilometres before eventually emptying into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain.

Berat is the ninth most populous city of Albania and serves as the seat of both Berat County and Berat Municipality. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, the settlement functions as one of the primary cultural centers of the country.

The municipality spans a total area of 421.6 square kilometers and recorded a population of 62,232 inhabitants in the 2023 census. Geographically, the city rests in the southern portion of the nation, cradled by surrounding mountains and hills. The prominent Mount Tomorr rises to the east and has been designated a national park. The Osum river, measuring 161 kilometers in total length, flows directly through the urban area before emptying into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain.

The municipal structure took its current form during the 2015 local government reform, which merged the former municipalities of Berat, Otllak, Roshnik, Sinjë, and Velabisht into unified municipal units. Rising on a rocky hill along the right bank of the Osum, the historic core features an old fortified city containing churches and mosques adorned with visible murals and frescos.