View source for Durrës

{{Short description|Second-largest city of Albania}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Durrës
| settlement_type    = [[Municipalities of Albania|Municipality]] and [[list of cities and towns in Albania|city]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
|total_width        = 300
|border             = infobox
|perrow             = 1/2/2/2
|caption_align  = center
|image1             = Panorama_of_Durres_Port.jpg
|caption1           = [[Port of Durrës]]
|image2             = Amphitheatre of Durrës 2013-09 005.jpg
|caption2           = [[The Beauty of Durrës|Mosaics]] at a Basilica within the [[Amphitheatre of Durrës|Amphitheatre]]
|image3             = Torra ne Durres.jpg
|caption3           = [[Durrës Castle|Venetian Tower]]
|image4             = Albanian College of Durres.jpg
|caption4           = Albanian College
|image5             = Kisha_Durres_02.jpg
|caption5           = Church of Saint Asti and Apostle Paul
|image6             = Stare mury miejskie Durrës.jpg
|caption6           = [[Ancient walls of Durrës|Ancient walls]]
|image7 			= Amphitheatre of Durrës (by Pudelek).JPG
|caption7			= [[Amphitheatre of Durrës]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Durrës.gif
| flag_alt           = Flag of Durrës
| image_seal         = [[File:Stema e Bashkisë Durrës.svg|80px]]
| seal_alt           = Seal of Durrës
| pushpin_map        = Albania#Europe
| pushpin_map_alt    = Location of Durrës in Albania and Europe
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Durrës
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_mapsize    = 290
| coordinates        = {{Coord|41|18|48|N|19|26|45|E|type:adm1st_region:AL|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = [[Albania]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[NUTS statistical regions of Albania|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Northern Albania]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Counties of Albania|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Durrës County|Durrës]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 7th century BC
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| governing_body     = Durrës Municipal Council
| leader_party       = [[Socialist Party of Albania|PS]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Bashkia Durrës |title=Historiku i Kryetareve |url=https://www.durres.gov.al/bashkia/kryetari/74-historiku-i-kryetareve |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010201123/https://www.durres.gov.al/bashkia/kryetari/74-historiku-i-kryetareve |archive-date=10 October 2020 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref>
| leader_name        = Emiriana Sako
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_blank1_title  = Municipality<ref name="PV">{{cite web |publisher=Porta Vendore |title=Pasaporta e Bashkisë Durrës |url=https://portavendore.al/bashkia-durres/pasaporta-e-bashkise-durres/ |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929124352/https://portavendore.al/bashkia-durres/pasaporta-e-bashkise-durres/ |archive-date=29 September 2021 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="municipalitiy area">{{cite web |publisher=Albanian Association of Municipalities (AAM) |title=Bashkia Durrës |url=https://aam.org.al/en/bashkia-durres/ |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205115305/https://aam.org.al/en/bashkia-durres/ |archive-date=5 December 2020 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_blank1_km2    = 338.30
| area_blank2_title  = Administrative unit
| area_blank2_km2    = 39.81
| population_as_of   = 2023
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2023pop">{{cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.instat.gov.al/en/themes/censuses/census-of-population-and-housing/|publisher=Institute of Statistics Albania}}</ref>
| population_blank1_title = Municipality
| population_blank1  = 153614{{efn|name=fn1|The municipality of Durrës consists of the administrative units of [[Ishëm]], [[Katund i Ri]], [[Manëz]], [[Rrashbull]], [[Sukth]] and Durrës.<ref name="PV"/><ref name="Classification">{{cite web |publisher=[[Institute of Statistics (Albania)|Instituti i Statistikës]] (INSTAT) |title=A new Urban–Rural Classification of Albanian Population |url=https://www.instat.gov.al/media/2919/a_new_urban-rural_classification_of_albanian_population.pdf |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114101641/https://www.instat.gov.al/media/2919/a_new_urban-rural_classification_of_albanian_population.pdf |archive-date=14 November 2019 |page=15 |date=May 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Law 2014"/> The population of the municipality results from the sum of the listed administrative units in the former as of the [[Demographics of Albania|2011 Albanian census]].<ref name="PV"/><ref name="Census 2011 Durrës County">{{cite web |last=Nurja |first=Ines |publisher=[[Institute of Statistics (Albania)|Institute of Statistics]] (INSTAT) |title=Censusi i popullsisë dhe banesave/ Population and Housing Census–Durrës (2011) |url=http://www.instat.gov.al/media/3061/3__durres.pdf |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327145006/http://www.instat.gov.al/media/3061/3__durres.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2020 |location=Tirana |page=85 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| population_density_blank1_km2 = 454
| population_blank2_title = Administrative unit
| population_blank2  = 101728
| population_density_blank2_km2 = 2555
| population_urban   = 195920<ref name="The urban population of Durrës – Census 2011">{{cite web |publisher=Knoema |title=The urban population of Durrës – 2011 Census Data (Knoema) |url=https://knoema.com/atlas/Albania/Durres/Urban-Population |access-date=24 April 2025 }}</ref>
| population_metro = 265330<ref name="The metro population of Durrës">{{cite web |publisher=Invest in Albania |title=The metro population of Durrës |date=6 June 2014 |url=https://invest-in-albania.org/albanian-cities/durres-county/ |access-date=24 April 2025 }}</ref>
| population_demonym = {{langx|sq|Durrsak (m), Durrsake (f)}}
| timezone           = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset         = +01:00
| timezone_DST       = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +02:00
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal codes in Albania|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 2000
| area_code_type     = Area code
| area_code          = +355 (0) 52
| elevation_m        = 0
| blank_name         = Seaport
| blank_info         = [[Port of Durrës]]
| blank1_name        = Motorways
| blank1_info        = [[File:Autostrada A1 Albania.svg|25px|link=Durrës-Kukës Highway]]
| blank1_name_sec2   = Highways
| blank1_info_sec2   = [[File:SH1-AL.svg|32px|link=SH 1 (Albania)]] [[File:SH2-AL.svg|32px|link=SH 2 (Albania)]]
| blank2_name_sec2   = [[Vehicle registration plates of Albania|Vehicle registration]]
| blank2_info_sec2   = DR
| website            = {{URL|https://durres.gov.al/}}
}}

'''Durrës''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ʊr|ə|s}} {{respell|DUURR|əs}},<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Durr%C3%ABs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706143638/https://www.lexico.com/definition/durres?s=t |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-07-06 |title=Durrës |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Durrës |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> {{IPA|sq|ˈdurəs|lang}}; {{lang-sq-definite|Durrësi}}) is the [[List of cities and towns in Albania#List|second most populous city]] of the [[Albania|Republic of Albania]] and [[county seat|seat]] of [[Durrës County]] and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest [[list of oldest continuously inhabited cities|continuously inhabited cities]],{{sfn|Sedlar|2013|p=111}} with roughly 2,500 years of [[recorded history]]. It is located on a flat plain along the [[Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast]] between the mouths of the [[Erzen River|Erzen]] and [[Ishëm (river)|Ishëm]] at the southeastern corner of the [[Adriatic Sea]]. Durrës's climate is profoundly influenced by a seasonal [[Mediterranean climate]].

Durrës was founded under the name of [[Epidamnos]] around the 7th century BC, by [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] colonists from [[Corinth]] and [[Korkyra (polis)|Corcyra]] in cooperation with the [[Taulantii]], a local [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] tribe.<ref name="Grote2013"/><ref>{{harvnb|Stallo|2007|p=29}}.</ref> Also known as Dyrrachium, Durrës developed as it became an integral part of the [[Roman Empire]] and its successor the [[Byzantine Empire]]. The [[Via Egnatia]] started in the city and led east across the fields, lowlands and highlands of the Balkan Peninsula to [[Constantinople]].

In the [[Middle Ages]], Durrës was contested between [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarians]], [[Venetian Empire|Venetians]], [[Albanian principalities|local Albanian noble families]], and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The Ottomans ultimately prevailed, ruling the city for more than 400 years from 1501 until 1912. Following the [[Albanian Declaration of Independence]], the city served as the capital of the [[Principality of Albania]] for a short period of time. Subsequently, it was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Italy]] in the [[interwar period]] and was occupied by [[Nazi Germany]] during World War II. Durrës experienced a strong expansion in its demography and economic activity under the [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania]].

The transport connections, concentration of economic institutions and industrial tradition underlie Durrës's leading economic position in Albania. It is served by the [[Port of Durrës]], one of the largest on the Adriatic Sea, which connects the city to other neighbouring countries. Its most considerable attraction is the [[Durrës Amphitheatre|Amphitheatre of Durrës]] that is included on the [[List of World Heritage Sites in Albania#Tentative list|Albanian tentative list]] for designation as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]. Once having a capacity for 20,000 people, it is the largest amphitheatre in the [[List of Roman amphitheatres|Balkan Peninsula]].

== Name ==

In antiquity, the city was known as {{lang|grc-Latn|Epidamnos}} ({{lang|grc|Ἐπίδαμνος}}) and {{lang|grc-Latn|Dyrrhachion}} ({{lang|grc|Δυρράχιον}}) in [[Ancient Greek|classical Greek]] and then {{lang|la|Epidamnus}} and {{lang|la|Dyrrachium}} in [[classical Latin]]. ''Epidamnos'' is the older known of the two toponyms; it is widely considered to be of [[Illyrian language|Illyrian]] origin, as first proposed by linguist [[Hans Krahe]],{{sfn|Shehi|2017|p=108}} and is attested in [[Thucydides]] (5th century BC), [[Aristotle]] (4th century BC), and [[Polybius]] (2nd century BC).{{sfn|Demiraj|2006|p=126}} Etymologically, ''Epidamnos'' may be related to [[Proto-Albanian language|Proto-Albanian]] *dami (cub, young animal, young bull) > dem (modern Albanian) as proposed by linguist [[Eqrem Çabej]].{{sfn|Demiraj|1997|pp=128–29}} Although the name ''Epidamnos/Epidamnus'' was more commonly used among Ancient Greek authors, the coinage of the city only used the abbreviations for the name ''Dyrrhachion/Dyrrhachium''.<ref>{{harvnb|Cabanes|2008|pp=166, 169}}</ref> ''Dyrrachium'' was chosen as the sole name of the city after the [[Roman Republic]] gained control of the region after the [[Illyrian Wars]] in 229 BC.{{sfn|Demiraj|2006|p=126}} The Latin spelling of /y/ retained the form of [[Doric Greek]] Dyrrhachion, which was pronounced as /Durrakhion/. This change of the name is already attested in classical literature. Titus Livius, at the end of the first century BC, writes in [[Ab Urbe Condita Libri]] that at the time of the Illyrian Wars (roughly 200 years earlier), the city was not known as Dyrrachium, but as Epidamnus. [[Pomponius Mela]], about 70 years later than Titus Livius, attributed the change of the name to the fact that the name Epidamnos reminded the Romans of the Latin word {{lang|la|damnum}}, which signified evil and bad luck; [[Pliny the Elder]], who lived in the same period, repeated this explanation in his works. However, the Romans may have adopted the new name because it was already in more frequent use by citizens of the city.{{sfn|Demiraj|2006|p=127}}

The name ''Dyrrhachion'' is usually explained as a Greek compound from {{lang|grc|δυσ-}} 'bad' and {{lang|grc|ῥαχία}} 'rocky shore, flood, roaring waves',<ref>{{cite journal |first=Hans |last=Krahe |title=Vom Illyrischen zum Alteuropäischen |journal=Indogermanische Forschungen |volume=69 |year=1964 |page=202}}</ref> an explanation already hinted at in antiquity by Cassius Dio, who writes it referred to the difficulties of the rocky coastline,<ref>{{cite book |first=Cassius |last=Dio |title=Roman History |chapter=41:49 |publisher=Loeb Classical Library |year=1916 |volume=IV |page=85 |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/41*.html#note12 |access-date=19 February 2021 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120172244/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/41%2A.html#note12 |url-status=live }}</ref> while also reporting that other Roman authors linked it to the name of an [[eponymous]] hero ''Dyrrachius''. The mythological construction of the city's name was recorded by [[Appian]] (2nd century AD), who wrote that "the king of the barbarians of this country, Epidamnus, gave the name to the city. His daughter's son Dyrrachius, built a port near the town that he called Dyrrachium". [[Stephanus of Byzantium]] repeated this mythological construction in his work. It is unclear whether the two toponyms referred originally to different areas of the territory of the city or whether they referred to the same territory.{{sfn|Demiraj|2006|p=128}} Classical literature indicates that they more probably referred to different neighbouring areas originally. Gradually, the name Epidamnus fell out of use, and Dyrrachium became the sole name for the city.{{sfn|Demiraj|2006|p=129}} Archaeological research has shown that at the time of the foundation of Durrës, two distinct settlements existed on its territory. The first one is a hill site with no direct contact with the sea. It predates the colony and might represent the settlement that held the toponym known as ''Epidamnos'' in ancient literature. The hill site overlooks to its south the second site, which is the territory of the port of Durrës, where the colony was founded. Its location on a rocky shore struck by waves on all sides reflects the description of the toponym Dyrrhachion.{{sfn|Shehi|2017|p=110}} The distinction between these two districts of the city remained in place even much later. In the 19th century, ''Durrës proper'' was the district of the port, while the hill north of it was a separate settlement, Stani (Kodra e Stanit).{{sfn|Shehi|2017|p=107}}

The modern names of the city in Albanian ({{lang|sq|Durrës}}) and Italian ({{lang|it|Durazzo}}, {{IPA|it|duˈrattso}}) are derived from ''Dyrrachium''/''Dyrrachion''. An intermediate, [[palatalization (sound change)|palatalized]] antecedent is found in the form ''Dyrratio'', attested in the early centuries AD. The palatalized /-tio/ ending probably represents a phonetic change in the way the inhabitants of the city pronounced its name.<ref name="Demiraj133">{{harvnb|Demiraj|2006|pp=133–34}}</ref> The preservation of old Doric /u/ indicates that the modern name derives from populations to whom the toponym was known in its original Doric pronunciation.{{sfn|Demiraj|2006|p=132}} By contrast, in Byzantine Greek, the name of the city is pronounced with the much later evolution of /u/ as /i/. The modern Italian name evolved in the sub-dialects that emerged from [[Colloquial Latin]] in northern Italy.<ref>{{cite book |first=Guillaume |last=Bonnet |title=Les mots latins de l'albanais |location=Paris |publisher=[[L'Harmattan]] |year=1998 |page=37 |language=fr}}</ref> The modern Albanian name evolved independently from the parent language of Albanian around the same period of the post-Roman era in the first centuries AD, as the difference in [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] in the two toponyms (first syllable in Albanian, second in Italian) highlights.<ref name="Demiraj133"/> In [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]], the city is known as {{lang|rup|Durus}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://issuu.com/leogjata/docs/arumunet_albania_nr_40 |title=Arumunët Albania, nr. 40 |newspaper=Arumunët Albania |issue=40 |page=15 |year=2014 |language=sq, rup |access-date=29 August 2022 |archive-date=29 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829121218/https://issuu.com/leogjata/docs/arumunet_albania_nr_40 |url-status=live }}</ref> During the 411-year [[Ottoman Albania|Ottoman period]], Durrës was known in [[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]] as ''Dırac'' (دراج); with [[final consonant devoicing]], the name has evolved into modern [[Turkish language|Turkish]] as ''Dıraç''.<ref>{{cite document |first=Tahir |last=Sezen |title=Osmanlı Yer Adları (Ottoman Place Names) |location=Ankara |publisher=[[Directorate of State Archives]] |year=2017 |page=217 |language=tr}}</ref> In [[Venetian language|Venetian]], it is called ''Durazo'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.swaen.com/listing/durazo-view-of-durres-in-albania/40924 |title=Durazo [view of Durres in Albania] |publisher=Paulus Swaen |access-date=13 January 2025}}</ref> while in the [[South Slavic languages]], the city is known as ''Drač'' (Cyrillic Драч).<ref name="brit1">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Durres |title=Durrës |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |edition=Online |access-date=13 January 2025}}</ref>

In English usage, the Italian form ''Durazzo'' used to be widespread, but the local Albanian name ''Durrës'' has gradually replaced it in recent decades.<ref name="brit1"/>

== History ==

=== Earliest period ===

The territory of Durrës was populated at least starting from the [[Eneolithic]] and then, from [[Protohistory|protohistoric]] times, it was inhabited by Illyrian peoples.<ref>{{harvnb|Sassi|2018|p=942}}</ref>

=== Antiquity ===
{{See also|Epidamnos|Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC)}}
[[File:Amphitheatre_of_durres_albania_2016.jpg|thumb|The [[Durrës Amphitheatre|Roman amphitheatre of Durrës]], built in the 2nd century AD]]

Though surviving remains are minimal,<ref>A selection of modern travelers' accounts and references in ancient literature are given in P. Cabanes and F. Drini, eds, ''Inscription d'Épidamne-Dyrrhachion et d'Apollonia'', vol. I (1995)</ref> Durrës is one of the oldest cities in Albania. In terms of mythology, the genealogy of the foundation of Dyrrhachium includes among the founders Illyrian men (the Illyrian king Epidamnos and his grandson Dyrrachos), Greek men (the [[Ancient Corinth|Corinthian]] Falio, descendant of Heracles), heroes ([[Heracles]] who was given part of the lands) and gods ([[Poseidon]], as father of Dyrrachos).{{sfn|Sassi|2018|pp=951–952}}<ref>{{harvnb|Wilkes|1995|p=111}}</ref>

Several ancient people held the site: the presence of the [[Brygi]] appears to be confirmed by several ancient writers, the [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] [[Taulantii]] (their arrival has been estimated to have happened not later than the 10th century BC), probably the [[Liburni]] who expanded southwards in the 9th century BC.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boardman |first1=John |last2=Edwards |first2=I. E. S. |last3=Hammond |first3=N. G. L. |last4=Sollberger |first4=E. |title=The Cambridge Ancient History:The Prehistory of the Balkans; and the Middle East and the Aegean world, tenth to eighth centuries B.C. |volume=III |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1970 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXljf8JqmkoC |isbn=0-521-22496-9 |page=628 |access-date=10 August 2019 |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115131338/https://books.google.com/books?id=vXljf8JqmkoC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Wilkes1995>{{harvnb|Wilkes|1995|p=111|ps=: In a later period the Bryges, returning from Phrygia, seized the city and surrounding territory, then the Taulantii, an Illyrian people, took it from them and the Liburni, another Illyrian people, took it from the Taulantii [...] Those expelled from Dyrrhachium by the Liburnians obtained help from the Corcyreans then masters of the sea and drove out the Liburni.}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Cabanes|2008|p=163}}.</ref> The city was founded by Greek colonists in 627 BC on the coast of the Taulantii.<ref name="Grote2013">{{cite book |first=George |last=Grote |title=A History of Greece: From the Time of Solon to 403 BC |year=2013 |publisher=Routledge |page=440}}</ref> According to ancient authors, the Greek colonists helped the Taulantii to expel Liburnians and mixed with the local population establishing the Greek element to the port.<ref name=Wilkes1995 /> A flourishing commercial centre emerged and the city grew rapidly.{{sfn|Wilkes|1995|p=112}} The fact that about the 6th century BC the citizens of Epidamnus constructed a Doric-style treasury at [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]] confirms that the city was among the richest of the [[Ancient Greek world]]. An ancient account describes Epidamnos as 'a great power and very populated' city.<ref>{{harvnb|Cabanes|2008|p=271}}.</ref>

[[File:King Monounios.jpg|thumb|Silver [[stater]] of the Illyrian king [[Monunius I|Monunius]], {{Circa|280 BC}} from the Dyrrhachion mint. Cow and suckling calf, rev. double stellate pattern, inscription: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΟΝΟΥΝΙΟΥ and the city symbol ΔΥΡ.]]

After 323 BC Epidamnus-Dyrrhachium was involved in the intervention in Illyria of the Macedonians under [[Cassander]], who clashed with the Illyrians under [[Glaukias]]. In 314 BC the Macedonian king seized the city but the garrison he established there was in turn besieged and driven out by the Illyrian king and the [[Korkyra (polis)|Corcyrans]]. In 312 BC, after another unsuccessful attack of Cassander in the region, the city came under the protection of Glaukias. Those events marked the end of [[Macedon]]ian presence on the Adriatic coast for almost one century.<ref name="Cabanes 2008 179">{{harvnb|Cabanes|2008|p=179}}</ref> The city probably came under the control of [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]] at the beginning of the 3rd century BC.<ref name="Cabanes 2008 179"/> From about 280 BC the Illyrian king [[Monunius I|Monunius]], and his successor [[Mytilos]] minted in Dyrrhachion silver and bronze coins respectively, bearing the king's name and the symbol of the city.<ref>{{harvnb|Crawford|1985|pp=220–221}}; {{harvnb|Šašel Kos|2005|p=258}}.</ref> The fact that their coins were struck in the city mint of Dyrrhachion stresses that they exercised to some extent their authority over the city.<ref>{{harvnb|Šašel Kos|2002|p=109}}</ref>

Epidamnus came under the control of the Illyrian [[Ardiaei]] under [[Agron of Illyria|Agron]], who fortified the city ({{Circa|250}}–231 BC).<ref>{{harvnb|Wilkes|1995|p=158}}</ref> When the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] defeated the Illyrians, they replaced the rule of queen [[Teuta]] with that of [[Demetrius of Pharos]], one of her generals.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilkes|1995|p=161|ps=: "... Gulf of Kotor. The Romans decided that enough had been achieved and hostilities ceased. The consuls handed over Illyria to Demetrius and withdrew the fleet and army to Epidamnus, ..."}}</ref> He lost his kingdom, including Epidamnus, to the Romans in 219 BC at the [[Second Illyrian War]]. In the [[Third Illyrian War]] Epidamnus was attacked by [[Gentius]] but he was defeated by the Romans<ref>John Drogo Montagu, ''Battles of the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Chronological Compendium of 667 Battles to 31BC'' (series Historians of the Ancient World (Greenhill Historic Series), 2000:47 {{ISBN|1-85367-389-7}}.</ref> at the same year.

[[File:07Durres01.jpg|thumb|left|Entrance in the [[ancient walls of Durrës]]]]

For [[Catullus]], the city was ''Durrachium Hadriae tabernam'', "the ''[[taberna]]'' of the Adriatic", one of the stopping places for a Roman traveling up the [[Adriatic]], as Catullus had done himself in the sailing season of 56.<ref>M. Gwyn Morgan, "Catullus and the 'Annales Volusi'" ''Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica'', New Series, '''4''' (1980):59–67).</ref>

After the [[Illyrian Wars]] with the [[Roman Republic]] in 229 BC ended in a decisive defeat for the Illyrians, the city passed to Roman rule, under which it was developed as a major military and naval base. The Romans preferred to use the name ''Dyrrachium'' (Greek: Δυρράχιον / ''Dyrrhachion'') for the city. They considered the name ''Epidamnos'' to be inauspicious because of its wholly coincidental similarities with the Latin word ''damnum'', meaning "loss" or "harm". The meaning of ''Dyrrachium'' ("bad spine" or "difficult ridge" in Greek) is unclear, but it has been suggested that it refers to the imposing cliffs near the city. During the [[Great Roman Civil War]] in Illyria, the [[Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC)|Battle of Dyrrachium]] was undertaken by [[Julius Caesar]] against [[Pompey|Gnaeus Pompey]]. The battle was a victory for Pompey, but it preceded the more decisive [[Battle of Pharsalus]] in Greece where Caesar won. Under Roman rule, Dyrrachium prospered; it became the western end of the ''[[Via Egnatia]]'', the great [[Roman road]] that led to [[Thessalonica]] and on to [[Constantinople]]. Another lesser road led south to the city of ''Buthrotum'', the modern [[Butrint]]. The Roman emperor [[Augustus|Caesar Augustus]] made the city a colony for veterans of his [[Roman legion|legions]] following the [[Battle of Actium]], proclaiming it a ''[[civitas libera]]'' (free town).

In the 4th century, Dyrrachium was made the capital of the [[Roman province]] of [[Epirus nova]]. It was the birthplace of the emperor [[Anastasius I (emperor)|Anastasius I]] in {{circa|430}}. Sometime later that century, Dyrrachium was struck by a powerful earthquake which destroyed the city's defences. Anastasius I rebuilt and strengthened the city walls, thus creating the strongest fortifications in the western Balkans. The {{convert|12|m|ft|adj=mid|abbr=off|-high}} walls were so thick that, according to the Byzantine historian [[Anna Komnene]], four horsemen could ride abreast on them. Significant portions of the ancient city defences still remain, although they have been much reduced over the centuries.

[[File:Semissis-Anastasius I-sb0007.jpg|thumb|The Eastern Roman Emperor [[Anastasius I Dicorus|Anastasius I]] was born into an [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] family in Durrës.]]

Like much of the rest of the [[Balkans]], Dyrrachium and the surrounding ''Dyrraciensis provinciae'' suffered considerably from [[barbarian]] incursions during the [[Migrations Period]]. It was besieged in 481 by [[Theodoric the Great]], king of the [[Ostrogoth]]s, and in subsequent centuries had to fend off frequent attacks by the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarians]]. Unaffected by the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]], the city continued under the [[Byzantine Empire]] as an important port and a major link between the Empire and western Europe. During the sixth century based on accounts of [[Procopius]], the city was mainly inhabited by a Greek population.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Winnifrith |first1=Tom |title=Badlands, Borderlands: A History of Northern Epirus/Southern Albania |year=2002 |publisher=Duckworth |isbn=978-0-7156-3201-7 |page=169 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dkRoAAAAMAAJ |access-date=2 November 2020 |language=en |quote=But there is no reason to disbelieve Justinian's historian Procopius when he says that in the sixth century Epirus as far as Dyrrachium was Greek. |archive-date=3 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203111216/https://books.google.com/books?id=dkRoAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
{{See also|Battle of Dyrrhachium (1018)|Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081)|l2=(1081)|Albanian-Anjou Conflict|Regnum Albaniæ}}

The city and the surrounding coast became a Byzantine province, the [[Theme of Dyrrhachium]], probably in the first decade of the 9th century.{{sfn|ODB|loc="Dyrrachion" (T. E. Gregory), p. 668}} Durrës became a [[Christianity|Christian]] city quite early on; its [[Diocese|bishopric]] was created around 58 and was raised to the status of an [[archbishopric]] in 449. It was also the seat of an [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] [[metropolitan bishop]]. The city remained in Byzantine hands until the late 10th century, when control passed to [[Samuel of Bulgaria]], possibly through his marriage with [[Agatha, wife of Samuel of Bulgaria|Agatha]], daughter of the local magnate [[John Chryselios]]. Samuel made his son-in-law [[Ashot Taronites]], a Byzantine captive who had married his daughter [[Miroslava of Bulgaria|Miroslava]], governor of Durrës. In circa 1005, however, Ashot and Miroslava, with the connivance of Chryselios, fled to [[Constantinople]], where they notified Emperor [[Basil II]] of their intention to surrender the city to him. Soon a Byzantine squadron under [[Eustathios Daphnomeles]] arrived at Durrës, and the city returned to Byzantine rule.{{sfn|Stephenson|2003|pp=17–18, 34–35}}{{sfn|Holmes|2005|pp=103–104, 497–498}}
{{multiple image
| align             = left
| total_width       = 290
| image1            = Torra_ne_Durres.jpg
| width1            = 225
| height1           = 
| image2            = Durrës_city_wall.jpg
| width2            = 200
| height2           = 
| footer            = [[Durrës Castle]] was built by the Byzantine [[Emperor Anastasius I]] 491–518 CE, making the city one of the most fortified on the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]]. The walls were devastated by an earthquake in 1273 and were extensively repaired.
}}

In the 11th–12th centuries, the city was important as a military stronghold and a [[metropolitan see]] rather than as a major economic center, and never recovered its late antique prosperity; [[Anna Komnene]] makes clear that medieval Dyrrhachium occupied only a portion of the ancient city.{{sfn|ODB|loc="Dyrrachion" (T. E. Gregory), p. 668}} In the 1070s, two of its governors, [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder]] and [[Nikephoros Basilakes]], led unsuccessful rebellions trying to seize the Byzantine throne.{{sfn|ODB|loc="Dyrrachion" (T. E. Gregory), p. 668}} Dyrrachium was lost in February 1082 when [[Alexios I Komnenos]] was defeated by the [[Normans]] under [[Robert Guiscard]] and his son [[Bohemund I of Antioch|Bohemund]] in the [[Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081)|Battle of Dyrrhachium]]. Byzantine control was restored a few years later, but the Normans under Bohemund returned to besiege it in 1107–08, and sacked it again in 1185 under King [[William II of Sicily]].{{sfn|ODB|loc="Dyrrachion" (T. E. Gregory), p. 668}}

In 1205, after the [[Fourth Crusade]], the city was transferred to the rule of the [[Republic of Venice]], which formed the "[[Duchy of Durazzo (Republic of Venice)|Duchy of Durazzo]]". This Duchy was conquered in 1213 and the city taken by the [[Despotate of Epirus]] under [[Michael I Komnenos Doukas]]. In 1257, Durrës was briefly occupied by the King of Sicily, [[Manfred of Sicily|Manfred of Hohenstaufen]]. It was re-occupied by the Despot of Epirus [[Michael II Komnenos Doukas]] until 1259, when the Despotate was defeated by the Byzantine [[Empire of Nicaea]] in the [[Battle of Pelagonia]]. In the 1270s, Durrës was again controlled by Epirus under [[Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas]], the son of Michael II, who in 1278 was forced to yield the city to Charles d' Anjou ([[Charles I of Sicily]]). In {{circa|1273}}, it was wrecked by a devastating [[earthquake]] (according to [[George Pachymeres]]<ref>R. Elsie, ''Early Albania'' (2003), p.&nbsp;12</ref>) but soon recovered. It was briefly occupied by King [[Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia|Milutin]] of Serbia in 1296. In the thirteenth century, a [[Jews in Albania|Jewish community]] existed in Durrës and was employed in the [[salt trade]].<ref name="Giakoumis9596"/>

In the early 14th century, the city was ruled by a coalition of Anjous, Hungarians, and Albanians of the Thopia family. In 1317 or 1318, the area was taken by the Serbs and remained under their rule until the 1350s. At that time the Popes, supported by the Anjous, increased their diplomatic and political activity in the area, by using the Latin bishops, including the archbishop of Durrës. The city had been a religious center of Catholicism after the Anjou were installed in Durrës. In 1272, a Catholic archbishop was installed, and until the mid-14th century there were both Catholic and Orthodox archbishops of Durrës.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2009/mphlae01.pdf |title=Etleva Lala (2008) Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility |access-date=29 May 2011 |archive-date=9 October 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2009/mphlae01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Two Irish pilgrims who visited Albania on their way to Jerusalem in 1322, reported that Durrës was "inhabited by Latins, Greeks, perfidious Jews and barbaric Albanians".<ref>''Itinerarium Symonis Simeonis et Hugonis Illuminatoris ad Terram Sanctam'', edited by J. Nasmith, 1778, cited in: Elsie Robert, ''The earliest references to the existence of the Albanian language''. Zeitschrift für Balkanologie, Munich, 1991, v. 27.2, pp.&nbsp;101–105. Available at https://www.scribd.com/doc/87039/Earlies-Reference-to-the-Existance-of-the-Albanian-Language {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207231306/http://www.scribd.com/doc/87039/Earlies-Reference-to-the-Existance-of-the-Albanian-Language |date=2011-02-07 }} <br /> "''Inhabitatur enim Latinis, Grecis, Judeis perfidis, et barbaris Albanensibus''" (Translation in R. Elsie: "For it is inhabited by Latins, Greeks, perfidious Jews and barbaric Albanians").</ref>

In 1380, the [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]] had established the [[theological]] [[University of Dyrrhachium]] in Durrës, which was later transferred to [[Zadar]] in 1396 after [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] threats of invasion began in the [[Balkans]].

When the Serbian Tsar [[Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia|Dušan]] died in 1355, the city passed into the hands of the Albanian family of [[Thopia family|Thopias]]. In 1376 the [[Navarrese Company]] under [[Louis of Évreux, Duke of Durazzo]], who had gained the rights on the [[Kingdom of Albania (medieval)|Kingdom of Albania]] from his second wife, attacked and conquered the city, but in 1383 [[Karl Topia]] regained control of the city.<ref>Fine (1994), p. 384</ref>{{Incomplete citation|date=June 2025}} The [[Republic of Venice]] regained control in 1392 from [[Gjergj Thopia]] and retained the city, known as ''Durazzo'' in those years, as part of the ''[[Albania Veneta]]''. It fended off a siege by the Ottoman Sultan [[Mehmed II]] in 1466 but fell to Ottoman forces in 1501.
{{Further|Statutes of Durazzo}}

=== Ottoman period (to 1912) ===
{{See also|Sanjak of Durrës|Scutari Vilayet|Pashalik of Scutari}}

Under Ottoman rule, many of its inhabitants converted to [[Islam]] and many [[mosque]]s were erected. The city was renamed Dırac (دراج) but did not prosper in the first two centuries of the Ottoman era; its importance declined greatly and it became a den of [[piracy]]. Following the establishment of Ottoman rule in 1501, the Durrës Jewish community experienced population growth.<ref name="Giakoumis9596">{{cite book |last=Giakoumis |first=Konstantinos |chapter=The Orthodox Church in Albania Under the Ottoman Rule 15th–19th Century |editor1-last=Schmitt |editor1-first=Oliver Jens |title=Religion und Kultur im albanischsprachigen Südosteuropa &#91;Religion and culture in Albanian-speaking southeastern Europe&#93; |year=2010 |location=Frankfurt am Main |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=9783631602959 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCdYHU9PtiIC&q=Durr%C3%ABs |pages=95–96 |access-date=17 October 2020 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120172122/https://books.google.com/books?id=aCdYHU9PtiIC&q=Durr%C3%ABs#v=snippet&q=Durr%C3%ABs&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Durrës, Pinargenti.jpg|thumb|The city of Durrës in 1573]]
[[File:Albania - Rosaccio Giuseppe - 1598.jpg|thumb|left|Map of the coast in northern Durrës from Giuseppe Rosaccio in 1598]]

As a port, Durrës was of little importance to the Ottomans, who controlled the entire Albanian coast. The town's main significance rather lay in [[Durrës Castle|its strategic castle]], which the Turks reinforced and improved upon, and its rich salt deposits. There were few permanent civilian settlements, and most of the population, including the local [[kadı]], opted to live further inland, such as in the newly established town of [[Kavajë]], 14&nbsp;km south of Durrës. The Ottoman chronicler [[Evliya Çelebi]] visited Durrës in 1670-71 and noted in his ''[[Seyahatname]]'' that there were around 150 houses as well as a mosque named after Sultan [[Bayezid II]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Çelebi |first=Evliya |title=Seyhahatname, Vol. VIII}}</ref>

The city's economy began to recover from the late 17th century onwards, boosted by profits from the salt mines, which exported salt throughout the Balkan hinterland. According to diplomat and Turkologist [[François Pouqueville]], about 100 Turkish and Greek merchants lived in the city in 1699, exporting 3,000 [[quintal]]s (300 tons) of beeswax, 15,000 quintals (1,500 tons) of finished cloth, 15,000 pieces of fine leather, and 60-100 ships of wheat, barley, corn and millet to Venice every year despite an official prohibition from the central government in Constantinople.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pouqueville |first=François Charles Hugues Laurent |title=Voyage de la Grèce |year=1826 |location=Paris}}</ref> France, England, the Netherlands, and Austria established their consulates in Durrës in 1700.

As Ottoman relations with Venice improved upon the conclusion of the [[Ottoman-Venetian Wars]], Durrës became a focal point of trade with the Republic of Venice, especially in grains and olive oil, as reported by the Venetian consul in the city in 1769. Mercantile relations with Venice were halted when the latter city was occupied by Napoleonic forces in 1797, bringing an end to the maritime republic. The [[Austrian Empire]] and later [[Austria-Hungary]], via the port of [[Trieste]], then replaced Venice as Durrës's largest trading partner. According to contemporary statistician [[:de:Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden (Statistiker)|Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden]], total exports from Durrës reached 672,000 Austrian [[thaler]]s each year, while imports amounted to 455,000 thalers.<ref>{{cite book |last=von Reden |first=Friedrich Wilhelm |title=Die Türkei und Griechenland etc. |page=259 |year=1856 |location=Frankfurt}}</ref>

By the mid-19th century, its population was said to have been about 1,000 people living in some 200 households. In the late nineteenth century, Durrës contained 1,200 Orthodox [[Aromanians]] (130 families) who lived among the larger population of Muslim Albanians alongside a significant number of Catholic Albanians.<ref name="Koukoudis358">{{cite book |last=Koukoudis |first=Asterios |title=The Vlachs: Metropolis and Diaspora |year=2003 |location=Thessaloniki |publisher=Zitros Publications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=01JoAAAAMAAJ&q=Berat |isbn=9789607760869 |pages=358 |access-date=17 October 2020 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120172149/https://books.google.com/books?id=01JoAAAAMAAJ&q=Berat |url-status=live }} "Durrës... At the end of the nineteenth century, there were more than 130 Vlach families, some 1,200 Vlachs, who constituted the nucleus of the local Greek Orthodox community, amid the much more numerous Moslem Albanians and quite a number of Roman Catholics, also of Albanian stock."</ref> The decrepitude of Durrës was noted by foreign observers in the early 20th century, echoing comments made by the Ottoman cartographer [[Piri Reis]] almost 400 years before: "The walls are dilapidated; plane-trees grow on the gigantic ruins of its old Byzantine citadel; and its harbour, once equally commodious and safe, is gradually becoming silted up."<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Durazzo |volume=8 |page=695}}</ref>

[[File:Duress Purger 13958.jpg|thumb|Turn-of-the-century Durrës, in the last decades of Ottoman rule]]

During the [[Tanzimat]] (reform) era, Durrës was separated from the [[Sanjak of Elbasan]] and became a main administrative centre in the reorganised [[Scutari Province, Ottoman Empire|İşkodra Vilayet]] before 1912; it had its own [[sanjak]], namely the [[Sanjak of Durrës]], which was established in 1880 within the vilayet. With the city's economic prosperity and upgrade in status, its demographic decline was also reversed. Many government buildings were built, as well as Western-style hotels and restaurants for private businesses. In 1892-1893 the population of the [[kaza]] of Durrës grew to about 4,781, consisting of 3,018 Muslims, 1,514 Orthodox, 201 Catholics, and 48 foreigners.

On 26 November 1912, as the Ottoman Empire was embroiled in the [[First Balkan War]], a group of nationalists led by [[Ismail Qemali]] raised the [[Albanian flag]] over Durrës. [[Albanian Declaration of Independence|Albania declared independence]] two days later, bringing four centuries of Turkish rule in Durrës to an end.

=== Modern ===
{{See also|Congress of Durrës}}
{{Further|Battle of Durazzo (1915)|Battle of Durazzo (1918)|l2=(1918)}}
[[File:Durres, Albania, 1918.jpg|thumb|left|The city of Durrës in 1918]]
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Konaku i Durrësit.jpg
| caption1          = The [[Royal Palace of Durrës]] served as the residence of [[William, Prince of Albania]] and his wife [[Princess Sophie of Albania]].
| image2            = Prince Wilhelm of Albania.jpg
| caption2          = [[William, Prince of Albania]] and his wife [[Princess Sophie of Albania]] arriving in Durrës, then the capital of Albania, on 7 March 1914
}}

Durrës was an active city in the [[Albanian National Awakening|Albanian national liberation movement]] in the periods 1878–1881 and 1910–1912. [[Ismail Qemali]] raised the [[Flag of Albania|Albanian flag]] on 26 November 1912 but the city was occupied by the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] three days later during the [[First Balkan War]]. On 29 November 1912 Durrës became the county town of the [[Durrës County (Kingdom of Serbia)|Durrës County]] one of the counties of the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] established on the part of the territory of [[Albania (toponym)|Albania]] occupied from [[Ottoman Empire]]. The Durrës County had four districts: Durrës, [[Lezha]], [[Elbasan]] and [[Tirana]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bogdanović |first1=Dimitrije |title=Knjiga o Kosovu: razgovori o Kosovu |year=1990 |publisher=Književne novine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbpBAAAAYAAJ&q=%D1%81%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7+%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD |first2=Radovan |last2=Samardžić |access-date=2 August 2011 |page=208 |isbn=9788639101947 |quote=На освојеном подручју су одмах успостављене грађанске власти и албанска територија је Де Факто анектирана Србији : 29. новембра је основан драчки округ са четири среза (Драч, Љеш, Елбасан, Тирана)....On conquered territory of Albania was established civil government and territory of Albania was de facto annexed by Serbia: On November 29 was established Durrës County with four srez (Durrës, Lezha, Elbasan and Tirana) |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120172129/https://books.google.com/books?id=FbpBAAAAYAAJ&q=%D1%81%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7+%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD |url-status=live }}</ref> The army of the Kingdom of Serbia retreated from Durrës in April 1913.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Antić |first=Čedomir |title=Kratko slavlje u Draču |journal=[[Večernje novosti]] |date=January 2, 2010 |url=http://www.novosti.rs/dodatni_sadrzaj/clanci.119.html:280057-Kratko-slavlje-u-Dracu |access-date=5 August 2011 |trans-title=Short celebration in Durrës |language=sr |quote=VeĆ u aprilu 1913. postalo je izvesno da je kraj "albanske operacije" blizu. Pod pritiskom flote velikih sila srpska vojska je napustila jadransko primorje. ...In April 1913 it became obvious that the "Albanian operation" is over. Under pressure of the fleet of Great Powers army of Serbia retreated from the Adriatic coast. |archive-date=9 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109204233/http://www.novosti.rs/dodatni_sadrzaj/clanci.119.html:280057-Kratko-slavlje-u-Dracu |url-status=live }}</ref> The city became [[Principality of Albania|Albania]]'s second national capital (after [[Vlorë]]) on 7 March 1914 under the brief rule of Prince [[Wilhelm, Prince of Albania]].<ref name="licodu.cois.it">[http://licodu.cois.it/547/view Organic Statute of the Principality of Albania (in Albanian)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227135048/http://licodu.cois.it/547/view |date=2012-02-27 }}, http://licodu.cois.it {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426042346/http://licodu.cois.it/ |date=26 April 2012 }}</ref> It remained Albania's capital until 11 February 1920, when the [[Congress of Lushnjë]] made [[Tirana]] the new capital.

During the [[First World War]], the city was occupied by [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] in 1915 and by [[Austria-Hungary]] in 1916–1918. On 29 December 1915, [[Battle of Durazzo (1915)|a Naval Battle]] was fought off Durazzo. On 2 October 1918, several allied ships [[Battle of Durazzo (1918)#Battle|bombarded Durazzo]] and attacked the few Austrian ships in the harbour. Although civilians started to flee the city at the start of the bombardment, many casualties were inflicted on the innocent and neutral population. The Old City being adjacent to the harbour was largely destroyed, including the [[Royal Palace of Durrës]] and other primary public buildings. It was captured by Italian troops on 16 October 1918. Restored to Albanian sovereignty, Durrës became the country's temporary capital between 1918 and March 1920. It experienced an economic boom due to Italian investments and developed into a major seaport under the rule of King [[Zog of Albania|Zog]], with a modern harbour being constructed in 1927. It was at this time the [[Royal Villa of Durrës]] was built by Zog as a summer palace, that still dominates the skyline from a hill close to the old city.

[[File:Royal villa of Durres 01.jpg|thumb|Royal villa in Durrës]]

An earthquake in 1926 damaged some of the city and the rebuilding that followed gave the city its more modern appearance. During the 1930s, the [[Bank of Athens]] had a branch in the city. <!-- Commented out: [[File:Durazzo, Albania, April 1939, Italian soldiers entering the city.jpg|thumb|[[Italian invasion of Albania|Italian soldiers]] entering the city on 7 April 1939 after facing fierce resistance from [[Mujo Ulqinaku]] and the [[Royal Albanian Army]].]] -->

Durrës (called ''Durazzo'' again in Italian) and the rest of Albania were [[Italian invasion of Albania|occupied in April 1939]] and annexed to the [[Kingdom of Italy]] until 1943, then occupied by [[Nazi Germany]] until [[Belgrade Offensive|autumn 1944]]. Durrës's strategic value as a seaport made it a high-profile military target for both sides. It was the site of the [[Italian invasion of Albania|initial Italian landings]] on 7 April 1939 (and was fiercely defended by [[Mujo Ulqinaku]]) as well as the launch point for the ill-fated [[Greco-Italian War|Italian invasion of Greece]]. The city was heavily damaged by [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombing during the war and the port installations were blown up by retreating German soldiers in autumn 1944.

[[File:Durres 2016-2017.jpg|thumb|left|Street in Durrës]]
[[File:Soldier statue Durres.jpg|thumb|240x240px|Socialist realist statue of unknown soldier with a high rise in the background]]

The [[Communist]] regime of [[Enver Hoxha]] rapidly rebuilt the city following the war, establishing a variety of heavy industries in the area and expanding the port. It became the terminus of Albania's first [[railway]], begun in 1947 ([[Durrës–Tirana railway]]). In the late 1980s, the city was briefly renamed Durrës-Enver Hoxha. The city was and continues to remain the center of Albanian mass beach tourism.

Following the collapse of communist rule in 1990, Durrës became the focus of mass emigrations from Albania with ships being hijacked in the harbour and sailed at gunpoint to Italy. In one month alone, August 1991, over 20,000 people migrated to Italy in this fashion. Italy intervened militarily, putting the port area under its control, and the city became the center of the [[European Community]]'s "[[Operation Pelican (EU food aid program)|Operation Pelican]]", a food-aid program.

In 1997, [[1997 Albanian civil unrest|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.

Following the start of the 21st century, Durrës has been revitalized as many streets were repaved, while parks and façades experienced a face lift.

== Geography ==
{{Further|Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast}}

Durrës is located on the Bay of Durrës on a flat [[alluvial plain]] between the [[river mouth]]s of [[Erzen River|Erzen]] and the [[Ishëm (river)|Ishëm]] along the [[Adriatic Sea]] within the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref name="Geography">{{cite web |publisher=[[University of Tirana]] |title=Resurset natyrore të territorit në rrethin e Durrësit dhe menaxhimi i tyre |url=https://www.doktoratura.unitir.edu.al/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Ermiona-Braholli-Final-PDF.pdf |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110085505/https://www.doktoratura.unitir.edu.al/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Ermiona-Braholli-Final-PDF.pdf |archive-date=10 January 2020 |language=sq}}</ref> The [[Municipalities of Albania|municipality of Durrës]] is encompassed in the [[County of Durrës]] within the [[Northern Albania|Northern Region of Albania]] and consists of the adjacent administrative units of [[Ishëm]], [[Katund i Ri]], [[Manëz]], [[Rrashbull]], [[Sukth]] and Durrës as its seat.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Institute of Statistics (Albania)|Instituti i Statistikës]] (INSTAT) |title=A new Urban–Rural Classification of Albanian Population |url=https://www.instat.gov.al/media/2919/a_new_urban-rural_classification_of_albanian_population.pdf |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114101641/https://www.instat.gov.al/media/2919/a_new_urban-rural_classification_of_albanian_population.pdf |archive-date=14 November 2019 |page=15 |date=May 2014}}</ref><ref name="Law 2014">{{cite web |url=https://www.vendime.al/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/137-2014.pdf |title=Law nr. 115/2014 |language=sq |page=6368 |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225080313/https://www.vendime.al/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/137-2014.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It stretches from the mouth of Ishëm River at the [[Cape of Rodon]] in the north across the [[Bay of Lalzi]] to the [[Shkëmbi i Kavajës]] in the south.<ref name="Geography"/>

=== Climate ===

According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Durrës is classified under the periphery of the [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] (Csa) zone with an average annual temperature of {{cvt|15.9|C}}.<ref name="Climate-data">{{cite web |publisher=Climate-Data |title=Climate: Durrës |url=https://en.climate-data.org/europe/albania/durres/durres-907625/ |access-date=19 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119171417/https://en.climate-data.org/europe/albania/durres/durres-907625/ |archive-date=19 November 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Its climate is influenced by its proximity to the Adriatic Sea in the Mediterranean Sea and the hills in the [[Western Lowlands]] in the hinterlands.<ref name="Geography"/> The summers are predominantly hot and dry, the winters relatively mild, and falls and springs mainly stable, in terms of precipitation and temperatures.<ref name="geo">{{cite web |title=PROGRAMI I ZONES FUNKSIONALE – BASHKIA E RE DURRES - |url=http://www.km.dldp.al/wp-multimedia/fap/shqip/Durres/Dokumenti%20FAP%20DURRES.pdf |website=km.dldp.al |location=Durrës |pages=7–9 |language=sq |access-date=4 February 2018 |archive-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122222520/http://www.km.dldp.al/wp-multimedia/fap/shqip/Durres/Dokumenti%20FAP%20DURRES.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The mean monthly temperature ranges between {{convert|7.5|°C|°F|lk=on}} in winter to {{convert|23.8|°C|°F|lk=off}} in summer. The highest temperature of {{convert|39|°C|°F|lk=off}} was recorded on 14 August 1957. The lowest temperature of {{convert|-6.2|°C|°F|lk=off}} was registered on 26 January 1954.<ref name="Geography"/> Durrës receives most of the [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] in winter months and less in summer months. The mean annual precipitation ranges between {{convert|1000|mm|in|abbr=off}} and {{convert|1273|mm|in|abbr=off}}.<ref name="Geography"/>
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Durrës
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes

|Jan high C = 13.5
|Feb high C = 15.3
|Mar high C = 17.6
|Apr high C = 21.0
|May high C = 25.0
|Jun high C = 30.3
|Jul high C = 33.7
|Aug high C = 34.2
|Sep high C = 29.5
|Oct high C = 24.7
|Nov high C = 19.9
|Dec high C = 15.3

|Jan mean C = 8.8
|Feb mean C = 10.4
|Mar mean C = 12.5
|Apr mean C = 15.6
|May mean C = 19.6
|Jun mean C = 24.3
|Jul mean C = 27.3
|Aug mean C = 27.7
|Sep mean C = 23.5
|Oct mean C = 19.2
|Nov mean C = 15.0
|Dec mean C = 10.6

|Jan low C = 4.2
|Feb low C = 5.6
|Mar low C = 7.4
|Apr low C = 10.2
|May low C = 14.2
|Jun low C = 18.3
|Jul low C = 21.0
|Aug low C = 21.1
|Sep low C = 17.6
|Oct low C = 13.7
|Nov low C = 10.1
|Dec low C = 6.0

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 121.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 98.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 81.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 76.1
|May precipitation mm = 63.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 29.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 12.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 18.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 62.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 83.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 140.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 136.7
| unit precipitation days =  0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days  =12.0
| Feb precipitation days  =10.2
| Mar precipitation days  =9.7
| Apr precipitation days  =9.7
| May precipitation days  =8.8
| Jun precipitation days  =4.3
| Jul precipitation days  =2.0
| Aug precipitation days  =2.6
| Sep precipitation days  =6.9
| Oct precipitation days  =7.7
| Nov precipitation days  =11.1
| Dec precipitation days  =10.2
| year precipitation days =
| Jan snow days  =0.2
| Feb snow days  =0.5
| Mar snow days  =0.1
| Apr snow days  =0
| May snow days  =0
| Jun snow days  =0
| Jul snow days  =0
| Aug snow days  =0
| Sep snow days  =0
| Oct snow days  =0
| Nov snow days  =0
| Dec snow days  =0.1
| year snow days =

| Jan humidity    =72
| Feb humidity    =69
| Mar humidity    =70
| Apr humidity    =72
| May humidity    =73
| Jun humidity    =70
| Jul humidity    =67
| Aug humidity    =67
| Sep humidity    =70
| Oct humidity    =72
| Nov humidity    =72
| Dec humidity    =72
| year humidity   =
| Jan dew point C =2
| Feb dew point C =2
| Mar dew point C =5
| Apr dew point C =8
| May dew point C =12
| Jun dew point C =16
| Jul dew point C =17
| Aug dew point C =17
| Sep dew point C =16
| Oct dew point C =12
| Nov dew point C =7
| Dec dew point C =4
| Jand sun  =4.3
| Febd sun  =4.8
| Mard sun  =5.6
| Aprd sun  =6.9
| Mayd sun  =9
| Jund sun  =10.6
| Juld sun  =12.1
| Augd sun  =10.5
| Sepd sun  =8.7
| Octd sun  =7
| Novd sun  =4.9
| Decd sun  =4
| yeard sun =
| Jan sun  =133.3
| Feb sun  =135.6
| Mar sun  =173.6
| Apr sun  =207
| May sun  =279
| Jun sun  =318
| Jul sun  =375.1
| Aug sun  =325.5
| Sep sun  =261
| Oct sun  =217
| Nov sun  =147
| Dec sun  =124
| year sun =
| Jan light = 9.6
| Feb light = 10.6
| Mar light = 12
| Apr light = 13.4
| May light = 14.5
| Jun light = 15.1
| Jul light = 14.8
| Aug light = 13.8
| Sep light = 12.5
| Oct light = 11.1
| Nov light = 9.9
| Dec light = 9.2
| year light= 
| Jan uv  =2
| Feb uv  =2
| Mar uv  =4
| Apr uv  =6
| May uv  =8
| Jun uv  =9
| Jul uv  =9
| Aug uv  =8
| Sep uv  =6
| Oct uv  =4
| Nov uv  =2
| Dec uv  =1
| year uv =

|source=Meteomanz (Temperatures-precipitation-precip days-snow days 2011-2024),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.meteomanz.com/sy3?l=1&cou=6230&ind=13611&m1=01&y1=2000&m2=12&y2=2024 |access-date= 14 March 2025 |title=Durres weather data by months |website= Meteomanz}}</ref> Weather Atlas (Daylight-UV<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate and monthly weather forecast: Durrës, Albania |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/albania/durres-climate |website=weather atlas |access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref>)
|source 2 =Climate data (Humidity),<ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{cite web |publisher=Climate-Data |title=Climate: Durrës |url=https://en.climate-data.org/location/907625/ |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-date=30 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430112628/https://en.climate-data.org/europe/albania/durres/durres-907625/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Weatherbase (dew point<ref>{{cite web |title=Durres, Albania Travel Weather Averages |url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=11631&cityname=Durres%2C+Durres%2C+Albania&units= |website=Weatherbase |publisher=CantyMedia |access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref>), Weather2visit (sunshine<ref>{{cite web |title=Durrës monthly weather averages |url=https://www.weather2visit.com/europe/albania/durres.htm |website=weather 2 visit |access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref>)
}}

== Politics ==

Durrës is a [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] governed by a [[Mayor–council government|mayor–council system]] with the mayor of Durrës and the members of the Durrës Municipal Council being responsible for the administration of Durrës Municipality.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Bashkia Durrës |title=Rregullore e Funksionimit të Këshillit të Bashkisë Durrës |url=https://www.durres.gov.al/images/keshilli-bashkiak/rregulloret/1_RREGULLORE_E_FUNKSIONIMIT_T_KSHILLIT_T_BASHKIS_DURRS.pdf |access-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006161629/https://www.durres.gov.al/images/keshilli-bashkiak/rregulloret/1_RREGULLORE_E_FUNKSIONIMIT_T_KSHILLIT_T_BASHKIS_DURRS.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2021 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> The mayor of Durrës is elected by its people to act as the executive officer of the municipality.<ref name="Governance">{{cite web |publisher=Bashkia Durrës |title=Bashkia Durrës: Rreth Keshillit Bashkiak |url=https://www.durres.gov.al/bashkia/keshilli-bashkiak/131-rreth-keshillit-bashkiak/78-keshilli-bashkiak |access-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006161344/https://www.durres.gov.al/bashkia/keshilli-bashkiak/131-rreth-keshillit-bashkiak/78-keshilli-bashkiak |archive-date=6 October 2021 |language=sq |url-status=live}}</ref> The Durrës Municipal Council is the legislative body of the municipality and is also a democratically elected institution, comprising 51 councillors since the latest municipal election.<ref name="Governance"/> Both, the mayor and members of the municipal council serve four-year terms without term limits.<ref name="Governance"/>

== Economy ==
[[File:Panorama of Durres Port.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Its highly advantageous geographical location puts the [[Port of Durrës]] among the largest in the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] and [[Ionian Sea|Ionian]] seas.]]

Durrës is an important link to [[Western Europe]] due to its port and its proximity to the Italian port cities, notably Bari, to which daily ferries run. As well as the dockyard, it also possesses an important shipyard and manufacturing industries, notably producing leather, plastic and tobacco products.

The southern coastal stretch of Golem is renowned for its traditional mass beach tourism having experienced uncontrolled urban development. The city's beaches are also a popular destination for many foreign and local tourists. In 2012, new water sanitation systems are being installed to eliminate sea water pollution. In contrast, the northern coastal stretch of Lalzit Bay is mostly unspoiled and set to become an elite tourism destination as a number of beach resorts are being built since 2009. Neighboring districts are known for the production of good wine and a variety of foodstuffs.

According to the World Bank, Durrës has made significant steps of starting a business in 2016. Durrës ranks ninth<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/Rankings/south-east-europe |title=Subnational Economy Rankings – South East Europe – Subnational Doing Business – World Bank Group |work=doingbusiness.org |access-date=7 November 2016 |archive-date=2 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002101308/http://www.doingbusiness.org/Rankings/south-east-europe |url-status=live }}</ref> among 22 cities in [[Southeastern Europe]] before the capital [[Tirana]], [[Belgrade]], Serbia and [[Sarajevo]], Bosnia and Herzegovina.

=== Transportation ===
[[File:Tirana%27s_Overpass_From_Durres_(1).JPG|thumb|[[National Road 2 (Albania)|SH2]] between [[Tirana]] and Durrës]]
[[File:Highway_at_K%C3%ABmbi_i_kavaj%C3%ABs_(OSCAL19_trip).jpg|thumb|SH4 at Kavaja Rock along Golem beach resort area]]

Major roads and railways pass through the city of Durrës thank to its significant location and connect the northern part of the country to the south and the west with the east. Durrës is the starting point of [[Pan-European Corridor VIII]], national roads SH2 and SH4, and serves as the [[main railway station]] of the [[Hekurudha Shqiptare|Albanian Railways]] (HSH).

The [[Pan-European Corridor VIII]] is one of the [[Pan-European corridor]]s. It runs between Durrës, at the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] coast, and [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]], at the [[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast|Bulgarian Black Sea coast]]. The [[National Road 2 (Albania)|National Road 2]] (SH2) begins at the [[Port of Durrës]] at the Dajlani Overpass, bypasses the road to [[Tirana International Airport]], and ends at the Kamza Overpass in the outskirts of [[Tirana]] where it meets [[National Road 1 (Albania)|National Road 1]] (SH1) State Road heading to northern Albania. The [[Albania–Kosovo Highway]] is a four-lane highway constructed from 2006 to 2013 between Albania and Kosovo. As part of the South-East European Route 7,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/projects-in-focus/donor-coordination/2-3_april_2009/working_group_transport_seeto_en.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-10-13 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304214850/http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/projects-in-focus/donor-coordination/2-3_april_2009/working_group_transport_seeto_en.pdf |url-status=dead}} {{Title missing|date=September 2025}}</ref> the highway will connect the [[Adriatic Sea]] ports of Durrës via Pristina, with the [[Pan-European corridor X|E75/Corridor X]] near [[Niš]], Serbia. As most tourists come through Kosovo, the laying of the highway make it easier to travel to Durrës.

The [[Port of Durrës]], in the south-west of the city, is one of the major ports of the Adriatic Sea and plays a very important role in the city's economy. The port is located on an artificial basin that is formed between two moles, with a west-northwesterly oriented entrance approximately wide as it passes between the ends of the moles. The port is also a key location for transit networks and passenger ferry, giving Durrës a strategic position with respect to the [[Pan-European Corridor VIII]]. The port has experienced major upgrades in recent years culminating with the opening of the new terminal in July 2012. In 2012, ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' ranked Durrës at no. 1 among 8 exciting new cruise ports to explore.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/vacations/cruise/8-exciting-new-cruise-ports-to-explore/article2348986/ 8 exciting new cruise ports to explore] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428015610/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/vacations/cruise/8-exciting-new-cruise-ports-to-explore/article2348986/ |date=28 April 2012 }}, ''The Globe and Mail'', 2012-02-24</ref> It is one of the largest passenger port on the [[Adriatic Sea]] that handle more than 1.5 million passengers per year.

The [[Durrës railway station|railway station of Durrës]] is connected to other cities in Albania, including the capital of [[Tirana]], [[Vlorë]], [[Elbasan]] and [[Shkodër]]. The [[Durrës–Tirana railway]] was a {{convert|38|km|adj=on|abbr=off}} [[Rail transport|railway]] line which joined the two biggest cities in [[Albania]]: Durrës and [[Tirana]]. The line connects to the [[Shkodër–Vorë railway]] halfway in [[Vorë]], and to the [[Durrës–Vlorë railway]] in Durrës. In 2015, some rail stations and rolling stock along the Durrës-Tirana line are being upgraded and latter colored red and white.

A rail connection between Durrës and [[Pristina]] in Kosovo was proposed in 2021, with a feasibility study being prepared in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kosovo-Albania: Pristina approves a rail link project |url=https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/kosovo-albania-pristina-approves-a-rail-link-project/ |date=7 July 2022 |access-date=7 August 2023 |archive-date=7 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807092057/https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/kosovo-albania-pristina-approves-a-rail-link-project/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Demography ==

{{Historical populations
| align = right
|1923|4,785
|1927|5,175
|1938|10,506
|1950|14060|1960|39937|1969|49200|1979|66200| source = <ref name="Population 1923–1938">{{cite book |last1=Hemming |first1=Andreas |last2=Pandelejmoni |first2=Enriketa |last3=Kera |first3=Gentiana |title=Albania: Family, Society and Culture in the 20th Century |year=2012 |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |isbn=9783643501448 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HfpTqhlsCtMC&q=durres+1927+5%2C175&pg=PA37 |access-date=17 October 2020 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120172242/https://books.google.com/books?id=HfpTqhlsCtMC&q=durres+1927+5%2C175&pg=PA37#v=snippet&q=durres%201927%205%2C175&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cities of Albania|url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/albania-cities.htm}}</ref><ref name="2023pop" />
|1989|82719|2001|99546|2011|113249|2023|101728}}

Durrës is the second most populous [[Municipalities of Albania|municipality in Albania]] and one of the most populous on the [[Adriatic Sea]] with a growing number of inhabitants. According to the [[2011 Census of Albania|2011 census]], the municipal unit of Durrës had an estimated population of 113,249 of whom 56,511 were men and 56,738 women.<ref name="Census 2011 Durrës County"/>

[[Islam in Albania|Islam]] was introduced to the city in the early 16th century during the Ottoman conquest. Much of the local population converted to Islam during the four centuries of Ottoman rule. The two most well-known mosques in the city are the [[Great Mosque of Durrës]] (built in 1931 on the site of an earlier Ottoman mosque) and the [[Fatih Mosque, Durrës|Fatih Mosque]], erected in 1502 just one year after the city became part of the Ottoman Empire.

[[Christianity in Albania|Christianity]] in Durrës and elsewhere in Albania has a presence dating back to [[classical antiquity]]. Christian traditions relate that the archbishopric of Durrës was founded by the [[apostle Paul]] while he was preaching in [[Illyria]] and [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]] and that there were possibly about seventy Christian families in the city as early as the time of the [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostle]]s.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/rcl/10-3_242.pdf |access-date=23 April 2023 |website=biblicalstudies.org.uk |title=Religious Persecution in Albania |author=Bernhard Tönnes |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416223821/https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/rcl/10-3_242.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://reformation.edu/albania/pages/early-christianity-albania.htm |title=Early Christianity – Albania – Reformation Christian Ministries – Albania & Kosovo |work=reformation.edu |access-date=5 November 2016 |archive-date=18 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918080934/https://www.reformation.edu/albania/pages/early-christianity-albania.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Orthodox Church of Albania]], which has been autocephalous since 1923, was divided into the [[Eastern Orthodox Archbishop of Tirana-Durrës|archbishopric of Tirana–Durrës]], headed by the Metropolitan and sub-divided into the local church districts of [[Tirana]], Durrës, [[Shkodër]] and [[Elbasan]].<ref name=autogenerated1 />

== Culture ==
[[File:Anton Perko Küstenmotiv Durazzo.jpg|thumb|220px|{{center|[[Anton Perko]]: ''Motif by the Durrës's coast'' (watercolor on paper – before 1905)}}]]

The theatrical and musical life of the city is centered on the [[Aleksandër Moisiu Theatre]], the Estrada Theatre, a puppet theatre, and the Philharmonic Orchestra. The annual [[International Film Summerfest of Durrës]], founded in 2008, is held in late August or early September in the amphitheatre. In 2004 and 2009, [[Miss Globe International]] was held in Durrës.

The city is home to different architectural styles that represent influential periods in its history. The architecture is influenced by Illyrian, Greek, Roman and Italian architecture.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} In the 21st century, part of Durrës turned into a modernist city, with large blocks of flats, modern new buildings, new shopping centres and many green spaces.

=== Education ===
[[File:Albanian College of Durres.jpg|thumb|The Albanian College of Durrës]]

Durrës has a long tradition of education since the beginning of civil life from antiquity until today. After the fall of communism in Albania, a reorganization plan was announced in 1990, that would extend the compulsory education program from eight to ten years. The following year, major economic and political crisis in Albania, and the ensuing breakdown of public order, plunged the school system into chaos. Later, many schools were rebuilt or reconstructed, to improve learning conditions especially in larger cities of the country. Durrës is host to academic institutions such as the [[University of Durrës]], Albanian College of Durrës, [[Vëllezërit Kajtazi Educational Institute|Kajtazi Brothers Educational Institute]], Gjergj Kastrioti High School, Naim Frashëri High School, sports mastery school Benardina Qerraxhiu and Jani Kukuzeli Artistic Lycée.

One of the city's main sights is the Byzantine city wall, also called [[Durrës Castle]], while the largest [[Durrës Amphitheatre|amphitheatre]] in the Balkans is close to the city's harbour. This fifth-century construction is currently under consideration for listing as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/910/ |title=L'amphithéâtre de Durres |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |work=unesco.org |access-date=26 December 2019 |archive-date=14 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814170258/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/910/ |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- Link not working properly: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/9642/p1060361.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918145758/http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/9642/p1060361.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 September 2011 |title=Img580.imageshack.us}}</ref> -->

=== Museums ===

Durrës is home to the largest archaeological museum in the country, the [[Durrës Archaeological Museum]], located near the beach. North of the museum are the sixth-century [[Durrës Castle|Byzantine walls]] constructed after the [[Visigoth]] invasion of 481. The bulk of the museum's collection comprises artefacts from the nearby ancient site of Dyrrhachium and includes an extensive collection from the Illyrian, Ancient Greek, Hellenistic and Roman periods. Items of major note include Roman funeral steles and stone sarcophagi, a colourful elliptical mosaic measuring {{convert|17|x|10|feet|0}}, known as ''[[The Beauty of Durrës]]'', and a collection of miniature busts of Venus, testament to the time when Durrës was a centre of worship of the goddess. There are several other museums including the [[Royal Villa of Durrës]] and the Museum of History (in the house of the actor [[Aleksandër Moisiu]]).

== International relations ==

In 2008, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] opened a consulate in the city considering that there is a community with [[Bosniaks|Bosniak]] ancestry that lives in [[Durrës County]].<ref name="Bosniaks">{{Cite web |date=2019-03-21 |title=Boshnjakët e Shijakut |url=https://telegrafi.com/boshnjaket-e-shijakut/ |access-date=2021-10-08 |website=Telegrafi |language=en-US |archive-date=8 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008100301/https://telegrafi.com/boshnjaket-e-shijakut/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They are mostly concentrated in two neighborhoods of the city of [[Shijak]], [[Borake]] and [[Koxhas]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hapet konsullata e Bosnjë-Hercegovinës – Arkiva Shqiptare e Lajmeve |url=http://www.arkivalajmeve.com/Hapet-konsullata-e-Bosnje-Hercegovines.156018/ |access-date=2021-10-08 |website=www.arkivalajmeve.com |archive-date=8 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008100257/http://www.arkivalajmeve.com/Hapet-konsullata-e-Bosnje-Hercegovines.156018/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Bosniaks"/>

These countries have an honorary consulate in Durrës:
* {{HUN}}<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Konzuli Szolgálat |title=Missions Abroad of Hungary |url=https://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/hu-missions-abroad?albania-honorary-consul-durres |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002134825/https://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/hu-missions-abroad?albania-honorary-consul-durres |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{MKD}}<ref>[http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2013/08/13/feature-02 New consulate in Durrës improves Albania-Macedonia ties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822182806/http://setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2013/08/13/feature-02 |date=22 August 2013 }}, SETimes.com, 13-08-13</ref>

=== Twin and sister cities ===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Albania}}

Durrës is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Bari]], Italy<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Bari|Comune Bari]] |title=Sindaco Decaro scrive al console generale di Albania a Bari: 'Trentennale della Vlora grande momento di unione dei nostri due Paesi. Ora insieme lavoriamo per il futuro' |url=http://www.comune.bari.it/-/sindaco-decaro-scrive-al-console-generale-di-albania-a-bari-trentennale-della-vlora-grande-momento-di-unione-dei-nostri-due-paesi-ora-insieme-lavoriam |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002131932/http://www.comune.bari.it/-/sindaco-decaro-scrive-al-console-generale-di-albania-a-bari-trentennale-della-vlora-grande-momento-di-unione-dei-nostri-due-paesi-ora-insieme-lavoriam |archive-date=2 October 2021 |language=it |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Bitonto]], Italy<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Bitontolive |title=Gemellaggio tra Bitonto e Durazzo, oggi il primo step |url=https://www.bitontolive.it/news/attualita/283182/gemellaggio-tra-bitonto-e-durazzo-oggi-il-primo-step |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125195116/https://www.bitontolive.it/news/attualita/283182/gemellaggio-tra-bitonto-e-durazzo-oggi-il-primo-step |archive-date=25 November 2020 |language=it |date=23 April 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Istanbul]], Turkey<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Istanbul|İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi]] |title=Belediye Kardeş Şehirler |url=https://www.ibb.istanbul/icerik/kardes-sehirler |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905053846/https://www.ibb.istanbul/icerik/kardes-sehirler |archive-date=5 September 2021 |language=tr |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|GRC}} [[Thessaloniki]], Greece<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Thessaloniki|City of Thessaloniki]] |title=Twin Towns |date=25 April 2018 |url=https://thessaloniki.gr/i-want-to-know-whats-going-on-in-the-city/twin-towns/?lang=en |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002132751/https://thessaloniki.gr/i-want-to-know-whats-going-on-in-the-city/twin-towns/?lang=en |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Cooperation and friendship ===

Durrës has cooperation and friendship relationships with:
* {{flagicon|MKD}} [[Kumanovo Municipality|Kumanovo]], North Macedonia<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Kumanovo Municipality]] |title=Службен гласник на Општина Куманово |url=https://kumanovo.gov.mk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/%d0%a1%d0%bb%d1%83%d0%b6%d0%b1%d0%b5%d0%bd-%d0%b3%d0%bb%d0%b0%d1%81%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%ba-%d0%b1%d1%80.-10-2019-%d0%b3..pdf |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905053845/https://kumanovo.gov.mk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/%D0%A1%D0%BB%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%B3%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA-%D0%B1%D1%80.-10-2019-%D0%B3..pdf |archive-date=5 September 2021 |language=mk |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shantou]], China<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Shantou]] |title=Welcome To Shantou: International Connections |url=https://english.shantou.gov.cn/english/%EF%BB%BFoverview/connections/ |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002133406/https://english.shantou.gov.cn/english/%EF%BB%BFoverview/connections/ |archive-date=2 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|MNE}} [[Ulcinj Municipality|Ulcinj]], Montenegro<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Bashkia Durrës |title=Kryebashkiaku i Durrësit Vangjush Dako nënshkruan marrëveshje bashkëpunimi me kryetarin e komunës së Ulqinit Gëzim Hajdinaga |url=https://www.durres.gov.al/bashkia/zyra-e-shtypit/230-kryebashkiaku-i-durresit-vangjush-dako-nenshkruan-marreveshje-bashkepunimi-me-kryetarin-e-komunes-se-ulqinit-gezim-hajdinaga |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130131000/https://www.durres.gov.al/bashkia/zyra-e-shtypit/230-kryebashkiaku-i-durresit-vangjush-dako-nenshkruan-marreveshje-bashkepunimi-me-kryetarin-e-komunes-se-ulqinit-gezim-hajdinaga |archive-date=30 November 2020 |language=sq |date=10 July 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of ancient cities in Illyria]]
* [[List of mayors of Durrës]]
* [[List of people from Durrës]]

== Notes ==
{{Noteslist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |last=Demiraj |first=Bardhyl |title=Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz |series=Leiden Studies in Indo-European |volume=7 |year=1997 |language=de |place=Amsterdam, Atlanta |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-420-0161-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Cabanes |first=Pierre |editor-last=Tsetskhladze |editor-first=Gocha R. |editor-link=Gocha R. Tsetskhladze |title=Greek Colonisation: An Account of Greek Colonies and Other Settlements Overseas |volume=2 |chapter=Greek Colonisation in the Adriatic |pages=155–186 |publisher=Brill |year=2008 |isbn=9789047442448 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bO55DwAAQBAJ |access-date=10 August 2019 |archive-date=23 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923093534/https://books.google.com/books?id=bO55DwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Crawford |first=Michael Hewson |author-link=Michael Crawford (historian) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=84_G_8q6WQcC |title=Coinage and Money under the Roman Republic: Italy and the Mediterranean Economy |series=The Library of Numismatics |editor-first=Philip |editor-last=Grierson |display-editors=0 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |date=1985 |isbn=0-520-05506-3 |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120172149/https://books.google.com/books?id=84_G_8q6WQcC |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Demiraj |first=Shaban |publisher=[[Academy of Sciences of Albania]] |title=The origin of the Albanians: linguistically investigated |isbn=9789994381715 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aXIbAQAAIAAJ |year=2006 |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120114336/https://books.google.com/books?id=aXIbAQAAIAAJ |archive-date=20 November 2020 }}
* {{cite book |last=Holmes |first=Catherine |year=2005 |title=Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976–1025) |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780199279685 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_h3_c0U1jVoC |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120114536/https://books.google.de/books?id=_h3_c0U1jVoC&redir_esc=y |archive-date=20 November 2020 }}
* {{Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium}}
* {{cite journal |last=Šašel Kos |first=Marjeta |title=Pyrrhus and Illyrian Kingdom(s?) |journal=Greek Influence Along the East Adriatic Coast |series=Knjiga Mediterana |volume=26 |year=2002 |isbn=9531631549 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QeKAAAAAMAAJ |pages=101–119 |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120172123/https://books.google.com/books?id=QeKAAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last1=Šašel Kos |first1=Marjeta |title=Appian and Illyricum |year=2005 |publisher=Narodni muzej Slovenije |isbn=961616936X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opBpAAAAMAAJ }}
* {{cite book |last=Sassi |first=Barbara |editor-first1=Marco |editor-last1=Cavalieri |editor-first2=Cristina |editor-last2=Boschetti |chapter=Sulle faglie il mito fondativo: i terremoti a Durrës (Durazzo, Albania) dall'Antichità al Medioevo |title=Multa per aequora. Il polisemico significato della moderna ricerca archeologica. Omaggio a Sara Santoro |series=Fervet Opus 4, Vol. 2, part VII: Archeologia dei Balcani |publisher=Presses Universitaires de Louvain, with the support of Centre d'étude des Mondes antiques (CEMA) of the Université catholique de Louvain |year=2018 |language=it |isbn=978-2-87558-692-6 |chapter-url=https://pul.uclouvain.be/book/?gcoi=29303100688210 |chapter-format=PDF |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314013153/https://pul.uclouvain.be/book/?gcoi=29303100688210 |url-status=live }}
{{cite book |last=Sedlar |first=Jean W. |title=East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500 |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=2013 |isbn=9780295800646 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4NYTCgAAQBAJ }}
* {{cite thesis |last=Stallo |first=Jennifer |year=2007 |title=Isotopic Study of Migration: Differentiating Locals and Non-Locals in Tumulus Burials from Apollonia, Albania |publisher=University of Cincinnati |url=https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=ucin1186753260&disposition=inline |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129185501/https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=ucin1186753260&disposition=inline |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last=Stephenson |first=Paul |title=The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-521-81530-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0PmrXKnczUC |access-date=20 February 2016 |archive-date=18 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118182151/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0PmrXKnczUC |url-status=live }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Shehi |first1=Eduard |title=Rishikim mbi topografinë e Durrësit antik në dritën e të dhënave të reja arkeologjike-historike [A review of topography of Durrës in antiquity in light of new archeological and historical data] |journal=Iliria |date=2017 |doi=10.3406/iliri.2017.2528 |url=https://www.academia.edu/52335413 |access-date=15 September 2021 |archive-date=13 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513122401/https://www.academia.edu/52335413 |url-status=live  |issn = 1727-2548 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wilkes |first=John |title=The Illyrians: The Peoples of Europe |location=Oxford, UK; Cambridge, MA, USA |publisher=Blackwell |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-631-19807-9}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Durrës|collapsible=collapsed}}
*{{official|https://durres.gov.al/}}

{{Durrës}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Durres}}
[[Category:Durrës| ]]
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[[Category:Populated coastal places in Albania]]
[[Category:620s BC]]
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