Vlora is proclaimed a hero city. It is an old city, where important events in the struggles for freedom and independence have taken place. In ancient times the city was known under the name of Aulon. At the beginning it was only a port. Aulon was famous for its olive groves and vineyards.

After the fall of Apollonia and Orichum, it became the principal port of Illyria. In the fifth century Aulon was the centre of diocese. The emigrations of barbarians damaged it badly and brought the withdrawal of the city deeper in land.

During the Middle Ages the city was fused into one with the fortress of Kanina, which is situated a few kilometres to the south east.

In 1081 Vlora was seized by the Normans and the German Hohenstaufens, and in 1272 incorporated into the kingdom of Arberia. In the fourteenth century, Byzantine armies visited it again, the Serbs as well as the feudal lords of the Balshas from north Albania.

At the fourteenth century, as it has passed to the Balshas, it became an important trading and handicraft centre noted apart from wines and salt, for its swords, its ships and its silk.

The invading Turks took it in 1417, and Sultan Sulejman - The Magnificent - built a fortress by the sea in 1531, which is believed to have been designed by the Albanian architect - Sinan.

By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Vlora had again become an important economic centre and port. it was taken by Ali Pasha Tepelena in 1812.

It was in Vlora that an Assembly was convened, which proclaimed Albania as an independent state, forming the first national government headed by Ismail Qemali on the 28th of November, 1912. At this time Vlora became the capital of the country. The government remained there until January, l914.

Vlora was occupied by the Italian troops in 1914 during the first World War, but they were driven from the main land in 1920, by a volunteer army. Reoccupied by Italians in 1939, and by the Germans in 1943. Vlora was liberated in October l5, l944.

Today Vlora has a population of about 120,000. Vlora is Albania's second largest port, it is also a fishing port and holiday resort.

What to visit;

The Mosque of Muradie, was built in 1542: this is believed to have been designed by the architect Sinani, on the orders of Sultan Sulejman, when he was in Vlora preparing his naval expedition against Italy.

With the closing down of the mosques and churches in 1967, it has been used as the museum of architecture of the district.

In the town centre is the bronze monument of independence, unveiled in 1972. On a high irregular pillar of rock stands a figure of a standard bearer, while below are depicted distinguished figures of the movement of Albania's independence. It is a joint work of the sculptors, Kristaq Rama, Shaban Haderi and Muntaz Dhrami. In honour of the day of independence, the main square in Vlora is called - The Square of the Flag (Sheshi i Flamurit).

The Museum of Independence : reflects the stern struggle of the Albanian's for freedom and independence, the events that brought about the raising of the flag on the 28th November l912, when Albania was proclaimed an independent state.

Vlora has a cement factory and the production of plastics, there is a cannery, whose products are used for export. The region of Vlora is rich in agricultural products, especially in fruits, olives and grapes, and in dairy products.

Vlora is the seat of the Ismail Qemali University, founded in 1994, which replaced the school for Naval Officers. Students can study business administration, nursery, naval engineering and English language.

The castle and village of Kaniné surely are worth a visit. It is said that when Vlora is destroyed, the villagers of Kaniné will rebuilt it. The opposite will not happen.