Antipatrea

Berat

City

Berat photomontage

Seal

Berat

Coordinates: 40°42′N 19°57′E / 40.700°N 19.950°ECoordinates: 40°42′N 19°57′E / 40.700°N 19.950°E

Country

Albania

County

Berat

Government

• Mayor

Petrit Sinaj (SMI)

Area

• Municipality

379.98 km² (146.71 sq mi)

Elevation

58 m (190 ft)

Population (2011)

• Municipality

60,031

• Municipality density

160/km² (410/sq mi)

• Administrative Unit

32,606

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal Code

5001-5006

Area Code

(0)311

Vehicle registration

Website

Official Website

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Official name

The Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra

Type

Cultural

Criteria

iii, iv

Designated

2005

Reference no.

Region

2005–present

Berat is a city and a municipality located in south-central Albania, and the capital of the County of Berat and also one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. In July 2008, the old town called Mangalem district, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Berat, Otllak, Roshnik, Sinjë and Velabisht, that became municipal units.

The seat of the municipality is the city Berat. The total population is 60,031 (2011 census), in a total area of 379.98 km² (146.71 sq mi). The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 32,606.

The name of the city in Albanian is "Berat" or "Berati", which is probably derived from the Old Slavonic Бѣлградъ or "Bel(i)grad" (Белград, meaning "white city" in the South Slavic languages), under which name it was known in Greek, Bulgarian, Latin and Slavic documents during the High and Late Middle Ages. That name was rendered as Bellegrada (Βελλέγραδα) in Greek. It is believed to have been the site of an Ancient Macedonian stronghold, "Antipatreia" (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιπάτρεια "city of Antipater") or "Antipatrea" in Latin, while during the early Byzantine Empire the name of the town was "Pulcheriopolis" (Greek: Πουλχεριόπολις, "city of Pulcheria"). In the Republic of Venice the city was known as Belgrad di Romania, while in the Ottoman Empire it was also known as Belgrad-i Arnavud (Albanian Belgrade) to distinguish it from Belgrade.

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Wikipedia