Excavations of the ancient city of Apollonia, the mediaeval monastery of Ardernica, the Illyrian castle of Byllis, and the oil wells surrounding Kuçovë that date back almost a century. Fier’s location makes it perfect for visiting all of these sights. Known as the industrial heart of Albania, the city itself offers little to see except the ruins of an old power plant industrial complex. For nature enthusiasts, there is a coastal national park of Divjakë-Karavasta.
4 things not to be missed in Fier
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History of Fier
The history of Fier is linked with oil and natural gas, whose reservoirs are located in the vicinity of the town. The presence of asphalt and burning gas vents has been documented since the 1st century AD, when the Greek geographer Strabo described rocks around Apollonia as “emitting flames” and “gushing boiling water with asphalt”.
Fier, a minor agricultural settlement until the 19th century, was not the historical centre of the region surrounding the fertile Myzeqeja Plain. It was Apollonia, one of the most significant Illyrian cities in antiquity located in what is today Albania.
Modern Fier was founded in 1864 by the Ottoman governor Kahraman Pasha Vrioni, who invited French architects to design a city to serve as a centre of trade and crafts for the local agricultural area.
After the First World War, the city had to cope with the arrival of many immigrants from Kosovo and Çameria, two Albanian-speaking areas that stayed outside the borders of the newly established Albanian state. Albanians then began to outnumber the previously dominant Aromanians, an ethnic group related to today’s Romanians, in the Fier area. Fier still is a Christian orthodox enclave in otherwise predominantly Muslim central Albania.
The drying out of the Myzeqeya wetlands following World War II led to an increase in local farming.
Industrial oil extraction started in the area around Fier in the late 1920s and continues to this day. Under communism, the city developed as the state’s industrial hub. The thermal power plant was built, using fuel oil produced in a nearby refinery. Additionally, a massive fertiliser factory was constructed.
Accordingly, the environmental devastation was tremendous. The air was often unbreathable and the rivers were contaminated with toxic waste. The situation has improved as most of the industry closed down after the fall of the communist regime, but the area is still coping with the ecological burden of the past. Only the refinery, one of the few major employers in the region but also still a huge polluter, remained in operation.
More recently, the construction of the international TAP pipeline, which brings gas from Turkey via Greece and Albania to southern Italy, has contributed to the city’s development and employment. One of its compressor stations is located in Fier.
Transport to Fier
There are direct buses from Fier to most cities in central and southern Albania (Durrës, Berat, Elbasan, Korçë, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, Sarandë, etc.). Buses run every 30 minutes to Tirana. You can no longer get to Fier by train due to the appalling state of the railway.
Sights in Fier
Useful Links
Accommodation
Use Booking.com to find the best places to stay in Fier.
Flights
Find the cheapest flights to Albania on Kiwi.com. It combines various airlines into a single itinerary.
Car Rental
Discover Albania with cheap & reliable car rentals through Rent from Locals.
Mobile data
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Experiences
Book a day trip to Apollonia, Ardenica or Divjakë-Karavasta on Viator.com.