The old city of Berat
Gorica Quarter Gorica is the third residential quarter of Berat, having developed since the 16th century. Located across the river and until recently connected to Berat only by the landmark Gorica bridge, most houses have large gardens giving it a more rural character. Gorica has retained much of its original way of life and still breathes the silence and slow pace of the past.
Mangalem Quarter
The historic quarter of Mangalem is a well preserved area containing buildings of characteristic architecture and charming narrow alleys. While the Mangalem riverfront has traditionally been a bazaar area, the residences of merchants and artisans extend on the steep slope above. The quarter is shaped like an elegant pyramid, on top of which is the castle. The harmonization with the terrain is performed with a rare architectural mastery. The main visual characteristic of this quarter is the number of windows which have given the whole city the epithet “ the city of windows on top of each other”.
mangalem-quarter-berat
The Castle of Berat
The castle rises on a rocky hill on the left bank of the Osum river and is accessible only from the south. It is the oldest and most representative monument of the city. After beign burned down by the Romans in 200 BC, the walls were strengthened in the fifth century under the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II, and were rebuilt during the 6th century under Emperor Justinian and again in the 13th century under the Despot of Epirus, Michael Angelus Comnenus. The churches inside the fortress were largely built from this time onwards and because of their characteristic architecture are preserved as cultural munuments.
The castle hill rises 187 m above the sea level with an area of 9.6 hectares. There are 24 towers of different forms and sizes along the impressive Hellenistic and medieval walls. The interior once contained 42 churches and chapels, though now there are only 8 intact shrines and the ruins of 2 mosques. The interior of the castle is still inhabited today.
the-castle-queater-berat
Mediaval Centre
of Berat is the former Islamic town centre built by Sultan Bayezid II in the XVI century. It contains the King Mosque, the Helveti Tekke and the Dervish Chambers. In the area in between the monuments was a graveyard that was removed during the Communism area. The centre is surrounded by typical vernacular houses of the XVII-XVIII century.
