Durres

Durrës is the second largest city of Albania. It is the most ancient and one of the most economically important cities of Albania. It is located on the central Albanian coast at 41°19N 19°27E / 41.317, 19.45Coordinates: 41°19N 19°27E / 41.317, 19.45, about 33 km (20 miles) west of the capital Tirana. It is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari (300 km away) and Brindisi (200 km away). It has a population of around 114,000 (2003 estimate). The city of Durrës is home to Albania's newest public university, the Aleksander Moisiu University.

The city was founded as Epidamnos in 627 BC by Greek colonists from Corinth and Corcyra. Its geographical position was highly advantageous, being situated around a natural rocky harbour which was surrounded by inland swamps and high cliffs on the seaward side, making the city very difficult to attack from either land or sea. Epidamnos was noted for being a politically advanced society, prompting the ancient philosopher Aristotle to praise its political system. However, Corinth and Corcyra quarrelled over the city, helping to precipitate the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC.

The First Bulgarian Empire under Simeon the Great captured the city, together with most of what is today Albania, in the early 10th century, but the Byzantines reconquered it around the middle of the century, when Bulgaria was under Peter I. The very end of the century saw another period of Bulgarian control, when under Samuil the empire conquered the city and held it until 1018. Dyrrachium remained as one of the last Bulgarian fortresses as the Byzantine Empire subjugated Bulgaria.

The First Bulgarian Empire under Simeon the Great captured the city, together with most of what is today Albania, in the early 10th century, but the Byzantines reconquered it around the middle of the century, when Bulgaria was under Peter I. The very end of the century saw another period of Bulgarian control, when under Samuil the empire conquered the city and held it until 1018. Dyrrachium remained as one of the last Bulgarian fortresses as the Byzantine Empire subjugated Bulgaria.

In 1997, Albania slid into anarchy following the collapse of a massive pyramid scheme which devastated the national economy. An Italian-led peacekeeping force was controversially deployed to Durrës and other Albanian cities to restore order, although there were widespread suggestions that the real purpose of "Operation Alba" was to prevent economic refugees continuing to use Albania's ports as a route to migrate to Italy.

Some important buildings in Durrës include the main library, the cultural center with the Aleksander Moisiu theater, the Estrada Theater, the puppet theater, the philharmonic orchestra, etc. There are also several museums such as the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of History.

Durrës has a generally Mediterranean climate. The average temperature varies from a low of 5°C in January to a high of 28°C in July and August. The driest months are June, July and August, each with less than 1cm of precipitation on average, while the rest of the year sees monthly precipitation over 2cm.