The Port of Durrës () is the largest

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

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 ...

. The port is situated in the city of Durrës. It is 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 located at the north end of the Bay of Durrës, an extensive body of water between Kalaja e Turrës and Cape Durrës. Cape Durrës is located approximately west of the Port of Durrës. As of 2014, the port ranks as the largest passenger port in Albania and one of the largest passenger port in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, with annual passenger volume of approximately 1.5 million. The Port of Durrës has approximately of alongside pier space on the West Mole and a fishing harbour lies at the north end of the East Mole. Several wrecks are located near the entrance channel to the Port of Durrës. The use of tugboats is compulsory in the Port of Durrës. As of 2011, the port underwent major renovation and expansion. The Albanian government is planning to relocate the existing port northward to Porto Romano area and build on the current port grounds of a luxury marina. The Durres Yachts and Marina project is planned to be built by Dubai-based company Emaar, consisting of residential construction development, recreational areas, and marina for super yachts.

History

Epidamnos ( Durrës) was seized by

Glaukias Glaucias (; ruled c. 335 – c. 295 BC) was a ruler of the Taulantii, Taulantian kingdom which dominated southern Illyrians, Illyrian affairs in the second half of the 4th century BC. Glaucias is first mentioned as bringing a considerable force ...

, the king of Illyria, in 312 BC, but after a war with the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

in 229 BC ended in a defeat for the Illyrians, the city passed to Roman rule, under which it was developed as a major military and naval base. The Romans renamed it ''Dyrrachium'' (Greek: , Dyrrhachion). They considered the name ''Epidamnos'' to be inauspicious because of its 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. Julius Caesar's rival Pompey made a stand there in 48 BC before fleeing south to Greece. Under Roman rule, Dyrrachium became the western end of the Via Egnatia. The Roman emperor Caesar Augustus made the city a colony for veterans of his legions following the Battle of Actium, proclaiming it a ''civitas libera'' (). In the 4th century AD, Dyrrachium was made the capital of the Roman province of

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

nova. It was the birthplace of the emperor Anastasius I in circa 430. Some time later that century, Dyrrachium was struck by a powerful earthquake, which destroyed the city's defences. Anastasius I rebuilt and strengthened the city walls. According to the Byzantine historian Anna Komnene, four horsemen could ride abreast on the 12 m (36 ft)-high walls. Significant portions of the ancient city defences still remain. Like much of the rest of the Balkans, Dyrrachium and the surrounding Dyrraciensis province suffered from barbarian incursions during the

Migration Period The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...

. It was besieged in 481 by Theodoric the Great, king of the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

, and in subsequent centuries, it had to fend off attacks by the

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

. Unaffected by the fall of the Western

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, the city continued under the

Byzantine Empire 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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

as an important port and a major link between the Empire and Western Europe. During communism in Albania, the port was named after Albanian communist leader,

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 ...

A small harbor for fishing boats was built on the west mole and opened in 2013. The fishing port is protected by a small new pier. The port of Durrës is regularly visited by various ferries. Most ferries connect Durrës with Bari and Ancona, some also with Trieste and rarely with Brindisi. A new ferry terminal opened in 2013. In 2019, 878,687 passengers and 259,175 vehicles were shipped on 1052 ferries respectively. 19 cruise ships with over 4500 passengers on board called at the port in 2019. Since the beginning of 2019, there has been a customs office of the Republic of Kosovo in the port. It was intended to simplify the import of goods to Kosovo and relieve the Vërmica/Morina border crossing.

References

External links

*
Official site of the planned Durres Yacht and Marina luxury marina complex

Map of the port of Durrës by the US army
{{DEFAULTSORT:Port of Durres Durrës Durres Transport in Durrës County

History

See also

References

External links