Vlorë: where Albania declared independence, the back story

About Vlorë: where Albania declared independence, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Tirana Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Vlorë is Albania’s third most populous city, spread around a wide bay below the Ceraunian Mountains, where the Adriatic meets the Ionian. It is where the country declared its independence in 1912, and it is the gateway to the Llogara pass and the Riviera. Here is its story, and how to spend a day or two there.

An ancient harbour

The coast around Vlorë was settled by Illyrians from the 11th–10th centuries BC and later by Greek colonists; a fortified port town at Triport, north-west of the modern city and now partly under water, was busy from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century AD. In the Ottoman period the town gained the Muradie Mosque, built between 1537 and 1542 and attributed to the great architect Mimar Sinan.

The city of independence

In November 1912, as the Ottoman Empire collapsed in the Balkans, delegates meeting in Vlorë under Ismail Qemali declared Albania independent, on 28 November, now the national holiday. The town briefly served as the first capital.

On 28 November 1912, in Vlorë, Ismail Qemali raised the flag of an independent Albania.

Lagoon, islands and coast

North of the city, the Narta Lagoon is part of the Vjosa Wild River National Park and home to thousands of flamingos; a wooden footbridge leads to the island monastery of Zvërnec. Across the bay, the Karaburun peninsula and Sazan island form Albania’s only marine park. The seafront is being transformed, with a new promenade and the Vlora Marina development.

Our advice: spend a morning at Narta and Zvërnec, walk the promenade at sunset, and continue south the next day over the Llogara pass to the Riviera.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Vlorë: where Albania declared independence, the back story before you go.