Durrës

Geography

The city is located on literal the Adriatic of Albania, on small a penisule. It is with 33 kilometers in the west of the capital Tirana and to 200 km of Brindisi. Its population is approximately 85000 inhabitants.

Toponymy

Old the Épidamne , is a Greek and Roman city on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Illyrie, and current Albania, located approximately 30 km in the west of Tirana.

In the past, the city had several names, taking into account its history:

its founders called it Epidamnos (Επίδαμνος) ( Épidamne )
thereafter it was called in Greek old Δυρράχιον/ Durrákhion what gave in Latin Dyrrachium , in Slavic Drač , in Italian Durazzo and in Albanian Durrës .

The French name, attested since the the Middle Ages, is Duras .

The Italian name of Durazzo was replaced since the beginning of the 20th century by the Albanian name of Durrës (Durrësi) .

History

According to the legend, the city - which is one of oldest of Albania - was founded by Epidamnos, the king illirien of the tribue of Taulant which lived in this area. Its founder gave him his name - Epidamnos (Επίδαμνος) (Épidamne) - and it called the port area according to the name of its back Dyrrah grandson.

Colonists come from Corinth and Corcyre in Illyrie (Strabon, VI, 316) invaded the area and founded in 627 av. J. - C. a new city called Dyrrachion . Its oligarchical government strict is quoted in example by Aristote in the Policy , but ends up involving a civil war, which, by the intervention of Corcyre and Corinth starting from 435 and the play of alliances between cities, becomes one of the causes of the Peloponnesian War.

To fourth century BC, the city belongs successively to the kingdoms of Cassandre and Pyrrhus Ier.

In 229 av. J. - C., the Romains seize the city at the time of the First war of Illyrie and rename it Dyrrachium , the second part of the Greek name - damnos being in Latin of bad omen. Pausanias (VI, 10,8) specifies that the Roman city is not exactly the old one, but is located at a short distance of it, and that the name of Dyrrhachium is that of the founder éponyme. In fact, currencies of fifth century BC bear the name Dyrrachion. At the beginning of the Roman epoch, the city keeps an semi-autonomy before being transformed into Roman colony.

The revêt city an strategic importance for Rome because it is the port of arrival of the Romans who cross the Ionian Mer since Brundisium, and the starting point of the Via Egnatia, the military road which crosses the south of the Balkan Peninsula of west in is and leads to Byzance while passing by Thessalonique. This situation explains why in 48 av. J. - C., Pompée establishes its camp with Dyrrachium where it pushes back an attack of Jules César which it had tried to prevent in vain from crossing the arm of the sea to pass to Greece.

Dyrrachium is the capital of the province of Nova Epirus, and remains an important city in late Antiquity, in spite of destroying seisms in 341 and 522, and several attacks cruel, of which that of the Ostrogoths in the years 480. The ancient urban framework of Dyrrachium is badly known because of the continuity of occupation until the contemporary time.

At the time of the partition of the Roman Empire, the city is located in the Roman Empire of the East. The emperor Anastase I {{er}} in is originating and it gave to its city imposing fortifications, restored at the next century by Justinien I {{er}}.

At the 9th century, Dyrrachium becomes the capital of a topic and several strategist S ordering this topic is known by seals. The strategic role of Dyrrachium perdure and the city thus hold an important place in many military episodes of the Byzantine Empire: at the time of the wars of Basile II against the Bulgaria, at the time of the revolt of Deljan, like sits of the dukes Nicéphore Bryenne and Nicéphore Basilakios revolts some against the central capacity at the end of the 11th century.

During the following centuries, the possession of the city was disputed between the Byzantine Empire, the Bulgaria (989 - 1005), the Normands of Sicily (1082 - 1083, 1107 - 1108, 1185) - ordered by Robert Guiscard - demolished the Greek emperor there Alexis I {{er}} Comnène in 1081 - Serb Empire (beginning of the 14th century), the Royaume of Sicily (1376 - 1379) and the Vénitiens (1205). Venice created a duchy there, in 1205, which was had by several princes of the Maison capétienne of Anjou-Sicily. As of XIVe century, the population of the city mainly became Albanian and the total population of the city reached approximately 25000 inhabitant.

Othoman Turkish reached the city in 1392 but it was left under the control of Venice of 1392 with 1501. With the head of its troops, Skanderbeg besieged the city in 1447.

The city finally fell in 1501 to the hands from the sultan Bajazet II which devastated it and joins together it with the Ottoman Empire. The majority of the population left the city what transformed it into a village. It developed again at the 17th century and became a shopping mall and the port of central Albania. After 1870 the city continued to grow slowly and several maritime companies established counters there. Durrës was seriously damaged by several earthquakes, in particular in 1372, 1905 and 1926.

The inhabitants of the city took share to national risings of 1878 with 1881 and between 1910 and 1912. November 21st, 1912 Ismajl Qemali arrived at Durrës and the Albanian flag floated on the city the November 26th 1912. But the city was occupied three days later by the Serbia and remained under their authority until in May 1913. The March 7th 1913, Durrës becomes the capital of the lately independent Albania and it remained it until in 1920. The city was the seat of several risings and it was occupied the armies of the Serbia and the Austria-Hungary in 1916 like by those of the Italy in 1918. After the First World War, a congress was held in Durrës and a provisional administration was installation there.

Under the mode of Zog Ier, many Italian capital flowed into the city and much of factories were built there. Following the damage generated by the earthquake of 1926, the city was rebuilt in a modern way, its appearance improved, of the broader ways were built there and the port taken its current form. The population developed, however, slowly: from 4700 inhabitants in 1923, it passed to 10500 in 1938.

The city was occupied by the Italy the April 7th 1939, then by the army Nazi as from August 1943 which dynamited the port in 1944. The National council of the release was founded there in 1942.

After the Second world war, the port was rebuilt and Durrës was transformed industrial downtown.

Durrës was the seat many demonstrations during the years 1990.

Economy

Second town of Albania with approximately 120.000 inhabitants and main port of the country, Dürres is one of the large commercial poles and communication of Albania. Taking into account its geographical location, Durrës with daily maritime relations by ferry with Italy, and the port activities relate to naval repair.

Industry relates to the manufactured goods in the field of leather, the plastics and rubber, the chemicals and electronic. The area produces wine, corn, beet sugar and tobacco.

The city is changing architecture with the massive construction of residences exceeding 10 stages.

See too

Amphitheater of Durrës
List of the governors of Durrës
Jean de Durazzo
Charles de Durazzo

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