Sights in Central Albania
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A
Archaeological Museum
The ArchaeologicalMuseum on the waterfront is well laid out and has an impressive collection of artefacts from the Greek, Hellenistic and Roman periods. Highlights include engraved Roman funeral stelae (memorial stones) and some big carved stone sarcophagi. Back in the day when the city was called Epidamnos, Durrës was a centre for the worship of Venus, and the museum has a cabinet bursting with little busts of the love goddess.
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B
Ethnographic Museum
Down from the castle is Berat's Ethnographic Museum . It's based in an 18th-century Ottoman house, which is as interesting as the exhibits. The ground floor has displays of traditional clothes and the tools used by silversmiths and weavers, while the upper storey has kitchens, bedrooms and guest rooms decked out in traditional style. Check out the mafil, a kind of mezzanine looking into the lounge where the women of the house could keep an eye on male guests being entertained (and see when their cups needed to be filled). Brochures are available, but to get the most out of it, ask for a guided tour.
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C
Onufri Museum
Kala was traditionally a Christian neighbourhood, but less than a dozen of the 20 churches remain. The quarter's biggest church, Church of the Dormition of St Mary (Kisha Fjetja e Shën Mërisë) only holds one service a year, and is now the site of the Onufri Museum . The church itself dates from 1797 but was built on the foundations of a 10th-century church. The building makes a lovely museum, and Onufri's spectacular 16th-century artworks are displayed on the ground level along with a beautifully gilded iconostasis.
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D
Former Palace of King Zogu I
On the hilltop west of the amphitheatre stands the decaying former palace of King Zogu I; it's a 15-minute climb up from the town centre to what was a grand palace (marble staircases, carved wooden ceilings and the like), but it's closed to the public. There are better views from the nearby lighthouse.
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E
Great Mosque
The town centre is easily covered on foot and in the centre, the great mosque serves as a point of orientation: the archaeological attractions are immediately around it, and the train and bus stations are 1km to the northeast.
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