Korcë & Surroundings
Not in the story-mood? Scroll down for the Quick Budget Fact Overview: an itemized information summary of Korcë and Pogradec! ↓
Not often did I hear someone mentioning Albania as their upcoming holiday destination. And the rare times I did, I heard the same names… the same carved out pinpoints of every rapid itinerary: Tirana, Theth, Shkodër Lake, Berat, Gjirokastër and a handful of idyllic stops along the long, lush coastline. Yeah, those are fun, but what about the east? Does anyone ever head over there? What are they hiding? I had to figure it out… and wasn’t disappointed.
Korçë
Take a place like Korçë (Korca). It only takes a short stroll from Bulevard Shen Gjergji to the historical Old Bazaar, filled with the laughter and turmoil of people having a good time, to abruptly and irreversibly lose your heart to this city. And the people of Korçë worked their asses off to make that happen: After 40 years of brutal communism, tainted by genocide and a complete lockdown of the country, the city regretfully fell into disregard. Even though this fierce town formed the epicentre of revolts and resistance*, these tribulations took their toll and in the 90’s very little was left from its former glory. Little but the strong spirit of the people: In the 2000s all citizens came together and did their part to accomplish a full-on make-over, backed up with the financial aid of the EU. The main streets and alleys were reconstructed, historical houses restored, façades painted, parks revigorated, and why not, a cultural calendar introduced to everyone’s entertainment. And now it’s for us to reap the fruits!
* Not only against the terrors of Enver Hoxha, but a few timelines back against the Ottoman domination.
Korçë
Take a place like Korçë (Korca). It only takes a short stroll from Bulevard Shen Gjergji to the historical Old Bazaar, filled with the laughter and turmoil of people having a good time, to abruptly and irreversibly lose your heart to this city. And the people of Korçë worked their asses off to make that happen: After 40 years of brutal communism, tainted by genocide and a complete lockdown of the country, the city regretfully fell into disregard. Even though this fierce town formed the epicentre of revolts and resistance*, these tribulations took their toll and in the 90’s very little was left from its former glory. Little but the strong spirit of the people: In the 2000s all citizens came together and did their part to accomplish a full-on make-over, backed up with the financial aid of the EU. The main streets and alleys were reconstructed, historical houses restored, façades painted, parks revigorated, and why not, a cultural calendar introduced to everyone’s entertainment. And now it’s for us to reap the fruits!
* Not only against the terrors of Enver Hoxha, but a few timelines back against the Ottoman domination.
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The first step when visiting Korçë is obtaining a bit of an overview of the city, for further orientation. The best way to do that is by taking the lift up to the top of the Red Tower… which is white with the letters “RED” on it (“ART”?). From this modern look-out point a few landmarks will immediately jump into eyesight: the Andon Zako Çajupi Theatre and the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, which both can be visited. The cathedral is a reference to the Orthodox history of town, tightly tied to the local Greek population (who also funded the biggest chunk of this house of prayer). The proximity of Korçë to Greece and the strong Greek presence led to numerous claims in the past, of which a handful were (temporarily) successful. These tense events were paired with fierce oppression of any Albanian nationalist sentiments, which were strictly followed up by repercussions. By contrast, the Ottoman origins of the town are also still visible today: Take for example the Old Bazaar and the Iljaz Mirahori Mosque, which was named after the founder of Korçë.
If this caught your interest, I recommend digging a bit deeper into various episodes of Korçë’s past by visiting a handful of its museums… of which most are them are entirely free every last Sunday of the month. If you’d like to stick to the chronological order: Kick off at the Archaeological Museum, make that far jump to the Middle Ages at the National Museum of Medieval Art, on to the National Education Museum of the First Albanian School (1887) and finish at my personal favorite, the Photography Museum Gjon Mili. Chances are high you unknowingly have seen a few of the works of this celebrated photographer before, who played with the suggestion of movement and light by using the strobe-technique. Little did most of us know that this man, whose pictures were published in Life Magazine for over four decades and who had Pablo Picasso in front of his lens , comes out of – you guessed it – Korçë! That tucked away town, secretly hiding behind the Morava Mountains, that just never stops surprising!
If this caught your interest, I recommend digging a bit deeper into various episodes of Korçë’s past by visiting a handful of its museums… of which most are them are entirely free every last Sunday of the month. If you’d like to stick to the chronological order: Kick off at the Archaeological Museum, make that far jump to the Middle Ages at the National Museum of Medieval Art, on to the National Education Museum of the First Albanian School (1887) and finish at my personal favorite, the Photography Museum Gjon Mili. Chances are high you unknowingly have seen a few of the works of this celebrated photographer before, who played with the suggestion of movement and light by using the strobe-technique. Little did most of us know that this man, whose pictures were published in Life Magazine for over four decades and who had Pablo Picasso in front of his lens , comes out of – you guessed it – Korçë! That tucked away town, secretly hiding behind the Morava Mountains, that just never stops surprising!
Like your Korça Beer? Of course you get it best from the source; The Korça Brewery in Korçë!
Pogradec
I always wanted to visit the Ohrid Lake of Macedonia. And I did, eventually… but before that pleasant event in my personal travel history took place, I visited the Ohrid Lake of Albania. Same lake, just the other side! I had no clue an actual border cut straight through it, but hey, you’re never too old to learn new things. Ohrid is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes, whereas the Skadar / Shkodër Lake is Southern Europe’s largest… and yup, Albania also owns a considerable chunk of that one, the other part belonging to Montenegro. It seems to be Albania’s thing, owning half-lakes. The funny part is that both the Ohrid and Shkodër Lake are proclaimed National Parks in its neighbouring countries, but not in Albania. What does that imply… that it’s special to them, but just “normal” to Albania, where big fat doses of natural splendour are always around the corner? Who knows?
Pogradec indeed doesn’t shout its proximity to this important sight and ecosystem* from the rooftops and chances are high you never even heard of the place, but it does make for a recommended stop on your itinerary. Not only for a dive or row-session, but also to check out its Roman Golik Bridge, to visit the Castle and Historical Museum, and why not: to shovel down some seafood. Apparently, the trout (koran) is really good.**
* The lake contains more than 200 endemic aquatic species.
** Or so I heard. I’m a vegetarian, and unlike popular Albanian believe: that excludes dead fish as well (a pescatarian is something else).
Pogradec
I always wanted to visit the Ohrid Lake of Macedonia. And I did, eventually… but before that pleasant event in my personal travel history took place, I visited the Ohrid Lake of Albania. Same lake, just the other side! I had no clue an actual border cut straight through it, but hey, you’re never too old to learn new things. Ohrid is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes, whereas the Skadar / Shkodër Lake is Southern Europe’s largest… and yup, Albania also owns a considerable chunk of that one, the other part belonging to Montenegro. It seems to be Albania’s thing, owning half-lakes. The funny part is that both the Ohrid and Shkodër Lake are proclaimed National Parks in its neighbouring countries, but not in Albania. What does that imply… that it’s special to them, but just “normal” to Albania, where big fat doses of natural splendour are always around the corner? Who knows?
Pogradec indeed doesn’t shout its proximity to this important sight and ecosystem* from the rooftops and chances are high you never even heard of the place, but it does make for a recommended stop on your itinerary. Not only for a dive or row-session, but also to check out its Roman Golik Bridge, to visit the Castle and Historical Museum, and why not: to shovel down some seafood. Apparently, the trout (koran) is really good.**
* The lake contains more than 200 endemic aquatic species.
** Or so I heard. I’m a vegetarian, and unlike popular Albanian believe: that excludes dead fish as well (a pescatarian is something else).
National Parks
The south-eastern side of Albania indeed is the gift that keeps on giving: it shoves hands full of national parks in your face as well! If we just look at Korçë and Pogradec alone, we can already detect no less than three national parks at a mere stone’s throw away:
The south-eastern side of Albania indeed is the gift that keeps on giving: it shoves hands full of national parks in your face as well! If we just look at Korçë and Pogradec alone, we can already detect no less than three national parks at a mere stone’s throw away:
- Fir of Drenovë National Park: This modest stretch of only 10.3 km2 within the Morava Mountain Range encompasses a surprisingly varied selection of natural landmarks and wealth. Not only does it include the silver fir forest it derived its name from, it also incorporates many extraordinary rock formations shaped by the diverse climatic and hydrological conditions of this region. One can even spot the Bozdovec Bear, a rare species native to Albania! With only a 10km walk from Korçë it makes for a convenient day-trip. Personally, I didn’t only enjoy the flora and fauna of the national park and its surroundings… I appreciated the cultural side of the experience, shaped by the shepherds affectionately leading their colorful embellished horses and donkeys over the muddy trails in search of firewood (hopefully not the precious firs!). I tried to snap some photos of this authentic scene for your proper immersion into the story… but permission was denied in all but one of the cases. Cameras, modern machinery not from their era!
- Prespa National Park: Yihaaa another shared lake! The Small and Great Prespa Lake are shared with both Macedonia and Greece, and the latter is only with Mount Mali i Thatë separated from the famous Ohrid Lake. Prespa might not have the same claim to fame, but it’s in fact absorbed into the “European Green Belt” initiative as well as in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. With reason, as the area basically pulls all the goodies out of its magical hat: mountains, islands, salt marshes, freshwater wetlands, and an impressive 135 km2 of forests (coniferous / deciduous). Needless to say, this attracts a colorful selection of wildlife, including mammals, reptiles, amphibia and especially a large amount of bird species (270). What makes this place all the more interesting, is its remnants of early civilizations, such as the Illyrians, Ancient Greeks and Byzantines.
- Drilon National Park: It’s a bit strange… as stated earlier, sometimes you’ll find this out-of-this-world natural sites in Albania that aren’t recognized as a national park, whereas all its neighbouring countries did. Ohrid, Skadar, but also Mount Korab, for example (Albania’s and Macedonia’s highest peak – a national park in Macedonia, not in Albania). But then you have a look at some of the actual national parks in Albania, and you wonder why the hell they are included. There’s nothing wrong with Drilon National Park. It’s actually very lovely and I enjoyed a nice little breakfast there among the squeaking ducks and geese. But it’s just a park. Like any other park in your hometown. Not the massive, bombastic, blown-of-your-feet-by nature’s-splendour kind of national park. Oh, well.
In order to easily travel down the south-eastern side of Albania, which is more remote and sometimes lacks efficient public transport systems, renting a car is highly useful. Not only to easily get from A to B and explore the more off-the-grid locations of the country, but also to allow for an easy daytrip to the various surrounding national parks which are otherwise hard to reach. I have an excellent experience with Rental Shkodra, who charge affordable prices and as a family company go above and beyond to provide a personal level of service. With pick-up and drop-off points in both Shkodër and Tirana, you can easily drive around the entire country without backtracking. Ideal!
Photo by Miles Watson Photography
Quick Budget Fact Overview
Albania Facts
History Recap
1000BC: Illyrians (Indo-European tribesmen). Country name from an Illyrian tribe: Arber / Albanoi. 165BC: Illyria under control Romans. 44BC: Caesar began building a colony at Butrint. 1-100: Christianity. 300-700: Goths, Huns, Avars, Serbs, Croats, and Bulgars successively invade Illyrian lands. 395: Division of Roman Empire à present-day Albania under Eastern Byzantine Empire. 700-800: Slav tribes settle. 1054: Roman and Orthodox Churches split (Orthodox don’t accept papal authority Rome). 1100-1200: Serbs occupied parts of Albania. 1204: Venice won control over most of Albania, but Byzantines regained control of south. 1385: Albanian ruler invited Ottoman forces to intervene against a rival in Battle of Savra. Start of slow expansion Ottoman Rule. 1403: Gjergj Kastrioti born: Albanian hero known as Skanderbeg who organized resistance to Ottomans in Krujë (repulsed 12 invasions) and kept Albania independent for 20+ years. ’68: Skanderbeg died and the Turks absorbed Albania into the Ottoman Empire. Conversion to Islam. 1614: Ottoman general Sulayman Pasha named Tehran (later Tirana) as the capital, after Iran’s. 1822: Albanian leader Ali Pasha was assassinated by Ottomans for promoting autonomy. ’61: First school known to use Albanian language opened in Shkodër. ‘78: Treaty of San Stefano / Treaty of Berlin: Ending Russo-Turkish War (Ottoman Empire lost numerous territories) & Divided Balkans among European powers. 1910: Mother Teresa born to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, Macedonia. ’12: First Balkan War (Balkan countries against Ottomans). Nov 28: Independence of Albania declared. ‘13: End First Balkan War with Treaty of London, beginning of Second Balkan War. Albania recognized as independent state: Demographics were ignored, half Albanian inhabited territories divided among Montenegro, Serbia and Greece. 1914-’18: WWI - Italian occupation. ’28: Albania kingdom under Zogu / parliament dissolved.’37: Italian occupation. ’39: WWII: Italian invasion and annexation (King Zogu fled to Greece). ‘41: Enver Hoxha becomes head of new Communist Party. ’43: German forces invade à ’44: withdraw after Communist resistance. Hoxha new leader: Brutal Stalinist rule for 40 years, mass murders, people being unable to enter or exit Albania. SU and China ties broken over ideologist ideas.’67: Limitation religious activity; Albania declared world's first atheist state. ’85: Hoxha dies. ’89: Communist rule in Eastern Europe collapses. ’90: Albanians granted right to travel abroad. Many flee. ’98: Kosovaran refugee exodus into Albania. ’03: First talks towards EU membership. ’09: Joins NATO and formally applies for EU membership --> rejected in ’10.
Albania Facts
- Capital: Tirana (Tiranë)
- Population: ± 2.8 mln (Korcë: 75,994 – Pogradec: 61,530)
- Language: Albanian
- Sq km: ± 28.748
- Currency: Lek (ALL - L)
- Electricity Outlet: C /F /E, 230v, 50Hz (standard European – check here)
- Country Code Phone: +355
- Emergency Phone: 112 (general), 127 (ambulance), 128 (fire), 112 (police)
- Visa: Check out the visa requirements here
- Vaccinations: Covid / Hep-A / Hep-B / Routine Vaccines
- Climate: Warm-Summer Mediterranean (Csb)
- High season: Late spring – summer – early autumn (too cold to swim outside of this season – hikes might get snowy)
History Recap
1000BC: Illyrians (Indo-European tribesmen). Country name from an Illyrian tribe: Arber / Albanoi. 165BC: Illyria under control Romans. 44BC: Caesar began building a colony at Butrint. 1-100: Christianity. 300-700: Goths, Huns, Avars, Serbs, Croats, and Bulgars successively invade Illyrian lands. 395: Division of Roman Empire à present-day Albania under Eastern Byzantine Empire. 700-800: Slav tribes settle. 1054: Roman and Orthodox Churches split (Orthodox don’t accept papal authority Rome). 1100-1200: Serbs occupied parts of Albania. 1204: Venice won control over most of Albania, but Byzantines regained control of south. 1385: Albanian ruler invited Ottoman forces to intervene against a rival in Battle of Savra. Start of slow expansion Ottoman Rule. 1403: Gjergj Kastrioti born: Albanian hero known as Skanderbeg who organized resistance to Ottomans in Krujë (repulsed 12 invasions) and kept Albania independent for 20+ years. ’68: Skanderbeg died and the Turks absorbed Albania into the Ottoman Empire. Conversion to Islam. 1614: Ottoman general Sulayman Pasha named Tehran (later Tirana) as the capital, after Iran’s. 1822: Albanian leader Ali Pasha was assassinated by Ottomans for promoting autonomy. ’61: First school known to use Albanian language opened in Shkodër. ‘78: Treaty of San Stefano / Treaty of Berlin: Ending Russo-Turkish War (Ottoman Empire lost numerous territories) & Divided Balkans among European powers. 1910: Mother Teresa born to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, Macedonia. ’12: First Balkan War (Balkan countries against Ottomans). Nov 28: Independence of Albania declared. ‘13: End First Balkan War with Treaty of London, beginning of Second Balkan War. Albania recognized as independent state: Demographics were ignored, half Albanian inhabited territories divided among Montenegro, Serbia and Greece. 1914-’18: WWI - Italian occupation. ’28: Albania kingdom under Zogu / parliament dissolved.’37: Italian occupation. ’39: WWII: Italian invasion and annexation (King Zogu fled to Greece). ‘41: Enver Hoxha becomes head of new Communist Party. ’43: German forces invade à ’44: withdraw after Communist resistance. Hoxha new leader: Brutal Stalinist rule for 40 years, mass murders, people being unable to enter or exit Albania. SU and China ties broken over ideologist ideas.’67: Limitation religious activity; Albania declared world's first atheist state. ’85: Hoxha dies. ’89: Communist rule in Eastern Europe collapses. ’90: Albanians granted right to travel abroad. Many flee. ’98: Kosovaran refugee exodus into Albania. ’03: First talks towards EU membership. ’09: Joins NATO and formally applies for EU membership --> rejected in ’10.
Photo by Miles Watson Photography
FREE Recommended Sights / Activities*
PAID Recommended Sights / Activities*
* A relatively complete overview of all sights and activities can be found on TripAdvisor… these lists include the ones I personally recommend. I purposely don’t quote entry fees, as they are bound to change over time.
Evening Entertainment
Local Festivals
FREE Recommended Sights / Activities*
- Sights: Resurrection of Christ Cathedral / Ngjallja e Krishtit (Korçë); Old Bazaar (Korçë); Korçë Brewery / Birra Korçë; Bulevard Shen Gjergji (Korçë); Iljaz Mirahori Mosque (Korçë); Pogradec Castle; Golik Bridge (Pogradec).
- Museums: Historical Museum of Pogradec;
- Hikes / Nature: Fir of Drenovë National Park (Korçë); Prespa National Park (Korçë); Morava Mountain (Korçë); Lake Ohrid (Pogradec); Drilon National Park (Pogradec); Guri i Kamjes (Pogradec);
PAID Recommended Sights / Activities*
- Sights: Red Tower (Korçë).
- Museums: Photography Museum Gjon Mili (Korçë); National Education Museum (Korçë); National Museum of Medieval Art (Korçë); Archaeological Museum (Korçë). Student discounts apply (even wit a fake student pass, just saying).
* A relatively complete overview of all sights and activities can be found on TripAdvisor… these lists include the ones I personally recommend. I purposely don’t quote entry fees, as they are bound to change over time.
Evening Entertainment
- Nightlife Areas: Old Bazaar in Korçë. Boulevard along Lake Ohrid in Pogradec.
- Theatres: Andon Zako Cajupi Theatre (Korçë).
Local Festivals
- Spring Fair – Korçë, April.
- Carnival – Korçë, June.
- Lakror Fest – Korçë, July.
- Beer Fest – Korçë, August.
- Balkan Film and Food Festival – Pogradec, September.
- Apple Fest – Korçë, October.
- Days of Mio – Korçë, October.
Budget Bites
Sleep Cheap
- Bigger Supermarkets: Spar, Conad, Big, Euro, Vero.
- Local Dishes: Fërgesë (stew); Byrek (stuffed pastry); Tavë Kosi (baked lamb/chicken in yoghurt); Kackavall Në Furrë Me Domate (baked cheese with tomatoes); Speca Me Gjize (cheese-stuffed bell peppers); Speca te Mbushur me Oriz (stuffed bellpeppers with rice); Gjel Deti me Përshesh (baked turkey with bread mash); Peshk Dhe Pherime Ne Tave (fish and veg); Flija (baked crepes); Jani Me Fasule (white bean soup); Qofte (lamb meat balls); Tave Mishi (mixed grill); Sarme (cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and meat); Qifqi (fried rice balls); Pispili (cornbread with leek); Trilece (cake); Ashure (dessert); Petulla (fried dough). Pogradec is famous for Koran / Trout dishes.
- The Veg Situation: Going vegetarian is rather easy in Albania, but going vegan is next to impossible as milk / egg is in all that remains. There are luckily quite some local vegetarian dishes, some already explained above. Local veg dishes: Fërgesë verorë (summer version); Byrek (choose cheese or spinach); Kackavall Në Furrë Me Domate; Speca Me Gjize; Speca te Mbushur me Oriz; Flija; Jani Me Fasule; Tave Mishi (vegan); Jufka (pasta cooked in butter); Ima lam Bajalldi (eggplant cooked in oven - vegan); Turli (vegetables stew - vegan); Tarator (cold soup); Salce Kosi (yoghurt sauce); Qifqi; Pispili; Trilece; Ashure; Petulla.
- National Drink: Rakia. Some local beer brands include Birra Korca, Bira Tirana and Birra Stela. Albania has wine production, but not as prominent as in Montenegro or Macedonia.
Sleep Cheap
- Hostels / Hotels: are relatively cheap in Albania compared to the rest of Europe, although more expensive than in other Balkan countries such as Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. I personally found the best deals on Booking.com, which is generally cheaper than Air BnB listings here. If you use it often enough, Genius-discounts are applied. A nuisance in Albania is that once you booked, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s actually confirmed: In my case, often the booking was immediately denied by the owner (or you’re not informed at all and show up in front of a closed door): Always call/email to confirm 100%. Payment generally happens on-site in cash. Writer’s choice: In Pogradec I stayed in the comfortable Guesthouse Ergys, in Korçë we booked a slightly pricier Air BnB.
- Couchsurfing: allows you to stay with locals. Nowadays it has a moderate sign-up cost (unless you put a third-world country as homebase), but paying extra for verification is unnecessary: Positive reviews are way more important. Once active, there are no costs for staying at someone’s house. In order to get accepted, make sure to write an elaborate review explaining why you applied to this specific profile and think you and your potential host are a good match (copy-pastes tend to be ignored).
- Housesitting: is an amazing exchange allowing you to stay short- or long-term in somebody’s house, while looking after their property and pets. There are many different websites, most of them paid, the main one being Trusted Housesitters… but once you landed a sit, the subscription fee pays itself back quickly. ‘ AFFILIATE LINK
Mama Said
Transport
Next?
- Safety: Don’t believe the gossip of people who never actually been here: Albania is safe! Crime rates are low and the level of hospitality is heart-warming. People go out of their way to make you feel welcome and assist you in any way they can. Of course, like everywhere in the world, use your common sense: Don’t walk alone in remote areas after sunset, don’t take valuables along etc.
- Tap Water: is drinkable.
- Don’t speak Albanian? Your Italian language skills might help! Due to long, recent occupation periods by Italians (check the History Recap) many Albanians speak some basic Italian.
- The only bank that doesn’t charge an ATM fee is Credins Bank.
Transport
- Walking: Both Korçë and Pogradec have compact city center, with all attractions within walking distance.
- Cycling: Cycling is possible in this part of Albania. Be aware that this isn’t the most common transportation method, so other traffic users might not be too considerate. Be careful!
- City Buses / Tram / Metro: There are some city buses, but navigation tools such as Google Maps and Moovit don’t work here for public transport options. For schedules (as far as there are some) and directions you’ll have to ask around at the spot where you are standing.
- Taxi / Uber: Taxis can be hailed down on the street and are affordable. Negotiate the price in advance, or asked to have the meter turned on.
- Intercity Buses: Bus schedules vary constantly and online info is unreliable, so I recommend buying bus tickets a day in advance at the bus station to be certain of the available departure times. The bus station in Korçë is located at Rruga Midhi Kostani, and in Pogradec at around Rruga Gani Butka / Rruga Industriale.
- Train: Not available.
- Car Rental: Rental Shkodra is strongly recommended. Be aware that if you drive down from Mount Korab / Peshkopi towards Pogradec, you have a horrible never-ending dirt road ahead of you. Your alternatives are driving via Macedonia, with you can easily do with your own vehicle, but only with special permission with a rental car… or drive all the way via Tirana.
- Airport: Tirana International Airport (TIA).
- Hitchhiking: is relatively safe in Albania, and especially in the countryside you can see even locals doing it. However, it’s common practice to offer payment, so verify this before getting into the car to avoid awkward situations. Take into account that English is not widely spoken (Italian is!), so chit-chat might be complicated.
Next?
- National Destinations Close By: Mount Korab / Radomirë, Berat, Permët, Gjirokaster.
- International Destinations Close By: Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Greece, Italy.
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