3092 ALBANIA (Vlorë) - Butrint (UNESCO WHS)

3092 Butrint - Remains of the baptistery

Located in south Albania, in Epirus, close to the Greek border, Butrint constitutes a very rare combination of archaeology and nature, being a microcosm of Mediterranean history, with occupation dating from 50 000 BC, at its earliest evidence, up to the 19th century AD. Prehistoric sites have been identified within the nucleus of Butrint, the small hill surrounded by the waters of Lake Butrint and Vivari Channel, as well as in its wider territory.

2973 ALBANIA (Kukës) - Valbonë Valley National Park - part of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (UNESCO WHS)

Valbonë Valley National Park, also called the Albanian miracle of the Alps, is a part of the Prokletije Mountains (Cursed Mountains), also known as the Albanian Alps, extending from northern Albania to Kosovo and eastern Montenegro. Designated in 1996, the park covers 8,000 hectares including the Valbonë Valley and the Valbonë River and lies between high and craggy peaks bordering on Thethi National Park, Gashi River, Plava and Gucia (Montenegro), all strictly protected natural areas. It is a transboundary park (Albania/Montenegro) with the highest biodiversity value of the country's mountain mainland.

ALBANIA / AUSTRIA / BELGIUM / BULGARIA / CROATIA / GERMANY / ITALY / ROMANIA / SLOVAKIA / SLOVENIA / SPAIN / UKRAINE - Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (UNESCO WHS)

This transboundary property stretches over 12 European countries. Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees over a short period of a few thousand years in a process that is still ongoing. The successful expansion across a whole continent is related to the tree's adaptability and tolerance of different climatic, geographical and physical conditions.

2961 ALBANIA (Dibër) - Lurë

Lurë is a former municipality in northeastern Albania, became in 2015 a subdivision of the municipality Dibër. Old Lurë, Lurë Plain, and Borie Lurë are the three neighborhoods of Lurë. More villages are in the municipality, such as Krej Lurë, Pregj Lurë, Arrmall, Vlashe and Gur Lurë. The Lurë National Park, located in the eastern side of the Kunora e Lurës massif (2,119m), is famous for its 14 glaciel lakes at an altitude between 1,350 and 1,720m. The park is also home to many rare species of wildlife and natural beauty. The southern part of the park has a meadow of multi-color flowers and coniferous trees called the Field of Mares which offers scenic views.

2782 ALBANIA (Elbasan) - Traditional clothes in Elbasan

The Ottomans erected garrisons throughout southern Albania by 1415 and occupied most of Albania by 1431. In 1466 Mehmet II constructed on the Shkumbin River a massive castle, whereon he named Elbasan, meaning 'conquered country' in Turkish. It became the seat of Sanjak of Elbasan, a centre of Ottoman urban civilisation over the next 445 years. Even after the Ottoman occupation Elbasan remained a center of Islam in Albania.

0420, 1788 ALBANIA (Berat / Gjirokastër) - Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra (UNESCO WHS)

0420 Berat

Posted on 17.12.2012, 27.07.2015
Berat and Gjirokastra bear outstanding testimony to the diversity of urban societies in the Balkans, and to longstanding ways of life which have today almost vanished. On the other hand, the two towns preserved the various types of monument and vernacular urban housing during the Classical Ottoman period, in continuity with the various Medieval cultures which preceded it, and in a state of peaceful coexistence with a large Christian minority, particularly at Berat.

1788 Gjirokastra

Located in south-central Albania, the town of Berat has a history of more than 2500 years, being named by the ancient Greeks city of Antipater, by the Romans Antipatrea, by the Byzantines Pulcheriopolis, by the Venetians Belgrad di Romania, and by the Ottomans Belgrad-i Arnavud (Albanian Belgrade) to distinguish it from Belgrade. The origin of the current name is the Slavic Bel(i)grad, meaning "white city". It bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries. It features a castle (Kala), most of which was built in the 13th century, although its origins date back to the 4th century BC.