Pogradec (,) is the eleventh most populous city in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a narrow plain between two mountain chains along the southwestern banks of the Lake of Ohrid. Its climate is profoundly influenced by a seasonal

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

. The total municipal population is 46,070, of which 17,371 is in the municipal unit as of the 2023 census. Pogradec and its surroundings were listed by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

as part of the natural and cultural heritage of the region of Ohrid. Nevertheless, the Illyrian Royal Tombs in the adjacent unit of Proptisht are on the Albanian tentative list for becoming a

Etymology

The name of the town is

Eastern South Slavic The Eastern South Slavic dialects form the eastern subgroup of the South Slavic languages. They are spoken mostly in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring countries. They form the so-called Balkan Slavic linguistic ...

in origin. Pogradec comes from ''Po(d)'' (under/beneath) and '' Gradec'' (town, city, castle or fortified settlement) and means literally "under the city". This is a reference to the ancient Illyrian settlement, which was situated on a hill above the contemporary region of Pogradec. In the medieval period during the Ottoman occupation, the town was known as İstarova or İstarye during Ottoman rule and was bounded to as

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

center in Görice Sanjak of Manastır Vilayet before

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

History

From the 8th until the 14th century, Pogradec area was captured by various medieval states such as the Bulgarian,

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and Serbian Empires as well as by noble Albanian families such as Gropa. It was most likely during the Bulgarian empires rule in Pogradec is when it gained its modern name. In the middle of 15th century the area became part of the

League of Lezhë The League of Lezhë (), also commonly referred to as the Albanian League (), was a military and diplomatic alliance of the Albanian aristocracy, created in the city of Lezhë on 2 March 1444. The League of Lezhë is considered the first unif ...

and after Skanderbeg's death in 1468, it was invaded by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

who kept it until Albania's Independence in 1912. During their occupation Pogradec was the center of the

of Starova and was developed as a small town of craftsmen and fishermen. When the Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi visited the area in 1662 he wrote that "''Pogradec was a sweet city with red roofs, four neighborhoods, four mosques, two elementary schools, six hundred houses and one hundred and fifty shops''". During the second half of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, Pogradec area played an important role in the Albanian National Renaissance. In 14 March 1887 the second Albanian language school was started here. During WWI Pogradec became a battlefield divided between the enemy fronts. From 1914 until 1920

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian and French armies, captured the city replacing each-other from time to time. During

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the city was first invaded by the Italian army in 12 April 1939. Italian occupation of Pogradec was interrupted due to Greco-Italian War and Greek troops occupied the city between 30 November 1940 and 14 April 1941. After Italy's capitulation in 1943 it was liberated by the Albanian partisans. After the war the town was a favorite summer escape for many communist government officials and particularly

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...

. The summer residences and the area around them were sealed off from the public.

Geography

Pogradec is located at , on the shore of the southwestern corner of the Lake of Ohrid between two mountain chains located in the north and east. The mountain chain of Mali i Thatë in the Prespa National Park rises in the east of the city and divides the region from the Lake of Prespa. Defined in an area of , the municipality of Pogradec is encompassed in the county of Korçë within the Southern Region of Albania and consists of the adjacent administrative units of Buçimas, Çërravë, Dardhas, Proptisht, Trebinjë, Udenisht, Velçan and Pogradec as its seat.

Climate

The climate of the Lake Ohrid is classified as a local-continental type because of a microclime that is created in that area influenced by

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

. The average annual rainfall in the Lake basin amount to approximately 730 mm.

Economy

Pogradec is located about 139 km from

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

, the capital city of

, 40 km from Korça, and 5 km from

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. Pogradec is the last railway station:

Durrës Durrës ( , ; 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 ...

- Elbasan - Librazhd - Pogradec and located along SH3 road that passes through Devoll and continues to Greece. However, the train service now finishes at Elbasan, and parts of the line from there on are derelict. There are some proposals to revive the line and extend it to connect to the Greek railway network. Translake transport started on 15 June 2014 with a tourist ferry between Pogradec and

Ohrid Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...

, but the service is sporadic and unreliable.

Culture

Pogradec is well known for its famous writers and poets such as Lasgush Poradeci and Mitrush Kuteli, and lately Luan Starova. Their works are a crucial part of Albanian literature. The main characters of Luan Starova's cycle of novels, "The Balkan Saga", are the author's own parents and their family, who fled Pogradec for Macedonia during World War II. Separated from their old hometown and their relatives by the Albania-Yugoslavia border during the

's era, they would often look at Pogradec through a binocular from the vantage point of Monastery of Saint Naum on the other side of the lake. Pogradec is also the home of nationally and internationally acclaimed artist painters like Anastas Kostandini(Taso), Gjergji Lako, Gentian Zeka, Vangjo Vasili, Odhisea Dhima, Ilir Dhima, etc. All kinds of sports are practiced in town, especially by the youth. Pogradec has a professional football team called KS Pogradeci. There are several varsity soccer teams mainly composed of high school students. Even

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

are played competitively. During the summer, beach volleyball draws the attention of all the residents. Many professional volleyball teams from

and other Balkan countries participate in a championship which lasts about two weeks. Pogradeci team has been awarded the first prize several times. Other sports to mention are

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

. The boxing team, "Dragoi", is one of the top teams in the nation and has always trained champions. Pogradec also has a rich folklore. Many songs and dances have been created throughout the centuries. Their themes are based on the beauty of the lake and a love for nature. Some of the main recurring cultural events in the city are: "Puppet Theater Festival" - Takes place every June. Participants vary from national to European level. "Lake Day" - Takes place in 21 June. All the towns surrounding lake Ohrid (Pogradec, Ohrid and Struga) gather in a festival where local delicacies, including food and culture are showcased. Mosque Pogradec Albania 2018 1

"Balkan Film Food Festival" - Takes place in September. Balkan movies, documentaries and culinary are showcased throughout the days of the festival. "Wine Fest" - Takes place in December. Pogradec families compete together for the best homemade wine in the city. The days of the festival are accompanied by great food and live music. Church in Pogradec

Pogradec area is very rich in cultural and natural monuments among which can be mentioned * Pogradec Castle *19th and 20th century historical center of the city of Pogradec *Illyrian Royal Tombs of Lower Selca

*Castle of Blace village *Castle of Zemçë village *Fortifications in the village of Slabinjë *Prehistoric settlement of Zagradie in the village of Lin *Bridge near the villages Jollë and Llëngë *Bridge near the village of Golik *Bridge near the village of Niçë *Bridge near the village of Çezmë *Bridge in the village of Zgallë *Bridge in the village of Servatinë *Terziu Bridge in the village of Proptisht *Fortification in the village of Shpellë in Mokra * St. Marina's Monastery in the village of Llëngë *Paleo-Christian church and mosaics in the village of Lin *Byzantine church in the village of Lin *Mosaic in the village of Tushemisht * Drilon water sources and swans park near Tushemisht * Guri i Kamjes in Mokra *The karstic cave and small lake inside it above the village of Hudenisht

Media

Newspapers

*'' Nositi, founded 1998

Twin towns – sister cities

Pogradec is twinned with: *

, North Macedonia *

Wismar Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...

, Germany

References

External links

bashkiapogradec.gov.al
– Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Pogradec Cities in Albania Administrative units of Pogradec Municipalities in Korçë County Populated coastal places in Albania Illyrian Albania Albanian Ohrid Lake Coast