HIMARA THE HEART OF RIVIERA
First Impressions 2
The village of Himara is stretched long and low across a rock outcropping, which has a kind of pride in its posture as it looms over the sea. From afar, it can be difficult to distinguish castle from town. Of all the Laberian villages whose forms have been preserved since antiquity, Himara is the largest in terms of area. To walk through the village is to be transported to a place that was a significant military outpost in addition to being an important point in regional commerce— and a home to many. Much of that commerce is gone today, and in many instance the residents of the village have made clever use of the empty stone buildings, either planting them with year-round vegetable and herb gardens or using them to keep livestock. Because Himara is positioned on a slope, orientation while walking the tight medieval fabric is easy. One can wander the streets freely and easily being rewarded for curiosity with magical discoveries along the way. The village stroll climaxes at the top of the hill where the ruins of an ancient castle complex lay, which still contain an active church, offering stunning views of the sea and mountains.
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First Impressions 2
The village of Himara is stretched long and low across a rock outcropping, which has a kind of pride in its posture as it looms over the sea. From afar, it can be difficult to distinguish castle from town. Of all the Laberian villages whose forms have been preserved since antiquity, Himara is the largest in terms of area. To walk through the village is to be transported to a place that was a significant military outpost in addition to being an important point in regional commerce— and a home to many. Much of that commerce is gone today, and in many instance the residents of the village have made clever use of the empty stone buildings, either planting them with year-round vegetable and herb gardens or using them to keep livestock. Because Himara is positioned on a slope, orientation while walking the tight medieval fabric is easy. One can wander the streets freely and easily being rewarded for curiosity with magical discoveries along the way. The village stroll climaxes at the top of the hill where the ruins of an ancient castle complex lay, which still contain an active church, offering stunning views of the sea and mountains.
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The people - the history
Available documents indicate that Himarë has been inhabited by a native Albanian population continuously since the early Middle Ages. The population of this area has been called Allvani, Albanezi, or Arnaut, by successive Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman rulers. In the medieval period, men from the Himarë province migrated westward offering their services in both manual labor and their combat skills at the service of European kingdoms. Albanian migrants fought as hired mercenaries for the Kingdom of Naples and in the French armies of Napoleon.
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Red shawled Albanian man. Excerpt from ”Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” by Lord Byron. Source: http:// eng.travelogues.gr/item.php?view=53934
The people - the history
Available documents indicate that Himarë has been inhabited by a native Albanian population continuously since the early Middle Ages. The population of this area has been called Allvani, Albanezi, or Arnaut, by successive Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman rulers. In the medieval period, men from the Himarë province migrated westward offering their services in both manual labor and their combat skills at the service of European kingdoms. Albanian migrants fought as hired mercenaries for the Kingdom of Naples and in the French armies of Napoleon.
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Red shawled Albanian man. Excerpt from ”Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” by Lord Byron. Source: http:// eng.travelogues.gr/item.php?view=53934
The people & Economic Activity
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The population of Himarë has historically been farmers, with olive cultivation and olive oil processing being the most common agricultural activities. Himariots have long traded olive products as exports with the Ionian Islands of Corfu, Zakynthos, and Lefkada, as well as Albanian territories. Apart from olives, Himara also produces a great deal of citrus. Today, Himarë livelihoods have shifted toward tourism. Numerous residents have started small businesses catering to both domestic and international tourists. These businesses cluster near the sea, where a number of resorts and tourist hotels have been built, significantly helping the region’s economic transformation. Traditional Himariot cuisine features meat prominently, with fish being relatively uncommon. Spit-roasted lamb and goat is an ancient tradition of these areas. Savory pies known as byrek, eaten throughout the day, are folded with a wide variety of fillings: cabbage, pepper and tomato, spinach, or cheese. Another traditional food is kukurreci: lamb, beef, or goat wrapped in cattle entrails and roasted over an open fire. All the villages of Himarë (the village being the capital of the municipality) preserve a tradition of dolli—toasting with raki or wine in hand.
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The people & Economic Activity
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The population of Himarë has historically been farmers, with olive cultivation and olive oil processing being the most common agricultural activities. Himariots have long traded olive products as exports with the Ionian Islands of Corfu, Zakynthos, and Lefkada, as well as Albanian territories. Apart from olives, Himara also produces a great deal of citrus. Today, Himarë livelihoods have shifted toward tourism. Numerous residents have started small businesses catering to both domestic and international tourists. These businesses cluster near the sea, where a number of resorts and tourist hotels have been built, significantly helping the region’s economic transformation. Traditional Himariot cuisine features meat prominently, with fish being relatively uncommon. Spit-roasted lamb and goat is an ancient tradition of these areas. Savory pies known as byrek, eaten throughout the day, are folded with a wide variety of fillings: cabbage, pepper and tomato, spinach, or cheese. Another traditional food is kukurreci: lamb, beef, or goat wrapped in cattle entrails and roasted over an open fire. All the villages of Himarë (the village being the capital of the municipality) preserve a tradition of dolli—toasting with raki or wine in hand.
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The people - Culture and tradition
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Residents of Himarë differ in their folk costumes from those of residents of the surrounding provinces. The traditional Himariot dress for men consists of the white kilt (known as fustanella), which hangs to the knee, a white wide-sleeved shirt with a colorful vest crafted with gold thread, and a black bustina hat. One of the most identifiable cultural elements maintained by residents of Himarë is its unique form of song. The population sings multipart folk songs, categorized as a part of UNESCO’s “intangible cultural heritage” in 2005. Iso-polyphonic singing, as it is called, consists of a minimum of four voices singing unique parts simultaneously, which combined, form a single “voice.” The polyphonic song of Himara is also often accompanied by a wind instrument called the dyare, which is visible in works of ancient art. The musician Neço Muka (Himarjoti) composed music for the lyric singer and artist Tefta Tashko-Koço, who together with Koço Çakali recorded two songs for the first time on gramophone records for Radio Paris in 1934. Another poet who highly influenced the appreciation for the Himara polyphony is Lefter Cipa, from Pilur, Himara.
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The people - Culture and tradition
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Residents of Himarë differ in their folk costumes from those of residents of the surrounding provinces. The traditional Himariot dress for men consists of the white kilt (known as fustanella), which hangs to the knee, a white wide-sleeved shirt with a colorful vest crafted with gold thread, and a black bustina hat. One of the most identifiable cultural elements maintained by residents of Himarë is its unique form of song. The population sings multipart folk songs, categorized as a part of UNESCO’s “intangible cultural heritage” in 2005. Iso-polyphonic singing, as it is called, consists of a minimum of four voices singing unique parts simultaneously, which combined, form a single “voice.” The polyphonic song of Himara is also often accompanied by a wind instrument called the dyare, which is visible in works of ancient art. The musician Neço Muka (Himarjoti) composed music for the lyric singer and artist Tefta Tashko-Koço, who together with Koço Çakali recorded two songs for the first time on gramophone records for Radio Paris in 1934. Another poet who highly influenced the appreciation for the Himara polyphony is Lefter Cipa, from Pilur, Himara.
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The roots - the history 10
In antiquity, Himarë was called Kimera, or Himera, and was the capital of the region and of a population known as the Chaonians. This tribe has been mentioned in documents dating to as early as the fifth century BCE, and later by a series of ancient Greek and Roman authors, such as Thucydides, Titus Livius, Strabo, and Pliny. Himara’s famous harbor in antiquity, as Strabo mentions, was “Panormou,” or the present day Porto Palermo. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides considered the population of Chaonia to be a “barbaric population”— that is, not Greek. The Chaonian tribe became more established in the fourth century BCE, when together with Thesprotia and Molossia they established the “Molossian League” or the League of Epirus. Under the domination of King Pyrrhus, Chaonia become one of the most important powers of this alliance, and the league became one of the greatest military powers of the ancient world, approaching and threatening Rome itself in its military campaigns. In the fifteenth century, as Balkan territories fell one after another under Ottoman conquest, Himarë and the surrounding province resisted fiercely, though eventually it too fell. Even after the Ottoman conquest in 1417, the population of the province appears in the chronicles in a state of constant rebellion. In 1473 and into the beginning of the sixteenth century, John Vlasi (Gjon Vlash) led the Himariots in a joint offensive with John Castriota (Gjergj Kastrioti) to an unexpected victory, which remains a milestone in the annals of the history of this area.
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The roots - the history 10
In antiquity, Himarë was called Kimera, or Himera, and was the capital of the region and of a population known as the Chaonians. This tribe has been mentioned in documents dating to as early as the fifth century BCE, and later by a series of ancient Greek and Roman authors, such as Thucydides, Titus Livius, Strabo, and Pliny. Himara’s famous harbor in antiquity, as Strabo mentions, was “Panormou,” or the present day Porto Palermo. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides considered the population of Chaonia to be a “barbaric population”— that is, not Greek. The Chaonian tribe became more established in the fourth century BCE, when together with Thesprotia and Molossia they established the “Molossian League” or the League of Epirus. Under the domination of King Pyrrhus, Chaonia become one of the most important powers of this alliance, and the league became one of the greatest military powers of the ancient world, approaching and threatening Rome itself in its military campaigns. In the fifteenth century, as Balkan territories fell one after another under Ottoman conquest, Himarë and the surrounding province resisted fiercely, though eventually it too fell. Even after the Ottoman conquest in 1417, the population of the province appears in the chronicles in a state of constant rebellion. In 1473 and into the beginning of the sixteenth century, John Vlasi (Gjon Vlash) led the Himariots in a joint offensive with John Castriota (Gjergj Kastrioti) to an unexpected victory, which remains a milestone in the annals of the history of this area.
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The setting - Urban fabric and architecture
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Of the ancient buildings that exist in the entire Southern region, the HimarĂŤ Castle is the most grand. The fortification is perched atop a 140-meter-high hill, and afforded natural protection from the northeast and southeast precipice. Ancient traces of an eighthcentury BCE wall is what has defines the line of the current form. These ancient walls are combined with trapezoidal outcroppings, which surround the hill from the northeast to the northwest, leaving the precipice that rises above the Visha River unfortified. In the middle of the old city stands the surrounding walls of the medieval castle, the foundations of which are the remnants of an earlier castle. The entire extension of the city began there and spread over the centuries well beyond the walls of the medieval fortress. Since the fall of communism, the town has extended its perimeter to the south along the coast, ignoring the traditional urban structure and building multistory buildings by the seaside. 13
The setting - Urban fabric and architecture
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Of the ancient buildings that exist in the entire Southern region, the HimarĂŤ Castle is the most grand. The fortification is perched atop a 140-meter-high hill, and afforded natural protection from the northeast and southeast precipice. Ancient traces of an eighthcentury BCE wall is what has defines the line of the current form. These ancient walls are combined with trapezoidal outcroppings, which surround the hill from the northeast to the northwest, leaving the precipice that rises above the Visha River unfortified. In the middle of the old city stands the surrounding walls of the medieval castle, the foundations of which are the remnants of an earlier castle. The entire extension of the city began there and spread over the centuries well beyond the walls of the medieval fortress. Since the fall of communism, the town has extended its perimeter to the south along the coast, ignoring the traditional urban structure and building multistory buildings by the seaside. 13
The setting - architecture
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There are a great number of preserved medieval buildings in the city of Himarë, but the fabric is mainly composed of dwellings built at the end of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This generation of buildings used stone and mortar as raw materials, with wooden floors and ceilings. The majority of houses take advantage of the hilly terrain by creating by small gardens walled in by dry-stack stone. In the old city center, houses located within the surrounding walls of the castle are very densely packed, and the streets are narrow and generally paved with cobblestone. Notable houses in Himarë are the dwellings of Llazar and Goro families. The other notable architectural monuments of Himarë are churches, which appear inside the castle walls as well as in outside quarters and suburbs of Himarë. Churches carry architectural and historical values, and some of them date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. 15
The setting - architecture
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There are a great number of preserved medieval buildings in the city of Himarë, but the fabric is mainly composed of dwellings built at the end of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This generation of buildings used stone and mortar as raw materials, with wooden floors and ceilings. The majority of houses take advantage of the hilly terrain by creating by small gardens walled in by dry-stack stone. In the old city center, houses located within the surrounding walls of the castle are very densely packed, and the streets are narrow and generally paved with cobblestone. Notable houses in Himarë are the dwellings of Llazar and Goro families. The other notable architectural monuments of Himarë are churches, which appear inside the castle walls as well as in outside quarters and suburbs of Himarë. Churches carry architectural and historical values, and some of them date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. 15
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Church of St. Sergius and St. Bacchu
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The Church of St. Sergius and St. Bacchu (Kisha e Shen Sergit dhe Bakut) is built in the highest point of the village, in the northwest and near the walls of the castle. The church consists of a narthex, naos, and altar. The church walls retain traces of numerous reconstructions. A document of the year 1577 indicates that the church was burned and rebuilt. It served for a long time as the seat of the bishopric of HimarĂŤ. The church had two main construction phases: the initial construction belongs to naos with the lower parts of the walls, because the upper parts were built several times. The narthex constitutes a later construction proved by technological advances in construction techniques. The naos is separated from that of the altar by a wall in iconostasis, with decorated frames with floral motifs. The naos is accessed through an entrance on the west side connected with narthex, and one from the south that leads to the courtyard of the church. The fresco of the church is preserved in the large semicircular apse. The bell tower, which stands six-meters high, sits in the corner, and at the northern entrance to the narthex a vault is immured with four carved eagles.
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Church of St. Sergius and St. Bacchu
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The Church of St. Sergius and St. Bacchu (Kisha e Shen Sergit dhe Bakut) is built in the highest point of the village, in the northwest and near the walls of the castle. The church consists of a narthex, naos, and altar. The church walls retain traces of numerous reconstructions. A document of the year 1577 indicates that the church was burned and rebuilt. It served for a long time as the seat of the bishopric of HimarĂŤ. The church had two main construction phases: the initial construction belongs to naos with the lower parts of the walls, because the upper parts were built several times. The narthex constitutes a later construction proved by technological advances in construction techniques. The naos is separated from that of the altar by a wall in iconostasis, with decorated frames with floral motifs. The naos is accessed through an entrance on the west side connected with narthex, and one from the south that leads to the courtyard of the church. The fresco of the church is preserved in the large semicircular apse. The bell tower, which stands six-meters high, sits in the corner, and at the northern entrance to the narthex a vault is immured with four carved eagles.
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The Church of St. Mary of Athal
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The Church of St. Mary of Athal (Kisha e Shën Mërisë së Athalit ) is built on a hill about two hours east of Himarë. It was built in 1795. The church has a basilica with three naves. The naves are separated by arches on the columns, which create a rectangular core because of their joining with the sidewalls, and which are covered with cylindrical vaults, with an opening to the central nave. The altar space is divided by a high wall iconostasis with three entrances. The bell tower stands on the central wall while in the east it ends with a cylindrical apse.
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The Church of St. Mary of Athal
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The Church of St. Mary of Athal (Kisha e Shën Mërisë së Athalit ) is built on a hill about two hours east of Himarë. It was built in 1795. The church has a basilica with three naves. The naves are separated by arches on the columns, which create a rectangular core because of their joining with the sidewalls, and which are covered with cylindrical vaults, with an opening to the central nave. The altar space is divided by a high wall iconostasis with three entrances. The bell tower stands on the central wall while in the east it ends with a cylindrical apse.
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The All Saints Church 22
All Saints Church (Kisha e GjithĂŤ ShenjtorĂŤve) is located in the eastern part of the castle of Himare. It is a threeaisled basilica (15.8x31 m) separated from the central nave altar through a wooden iconostasis. The church has two entrances on the south and north. The church pillars are reinforced with wooden braces, and in addition the church has 16 wooden columns carved with different motifs. The ceiling also is constructed in timber and has various decorative elements such as rosettes and other geometrical motifs. The church bell and the dome (substantially altered during reconstruction) do show objects of interest as well.
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The All Saints Church 22
All Saints Church (Kisha e GjithĂŤ ShenjtorĂŤve) is located in the eastern part of the castle of Himare. It is a threeaisled basilica (15.8x31 m) separated from the central nave altar through a wooden iconostasis. The church has two entrances on the south and north. The church pillars are reinforced with wooden braces, and in addition the church has 16 wooden columns carved with different motifs. The ceiling also is constructed in timber and has various decorative elements such as rosettes and other geometrical motifs. The church bell and the dome (substantially altered during reconstruction) do show objects of interest as well.
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The Cave of Spile 24
The Cave of Spile is located in the new part of the town of Himarë, in the bay of the same name. It was excavated for the first time in 1920s and 1939 by Italian archaeologist P.Markone, Ugolini and Luigi Cardini, who found archaeological material that confirmed the occupation of the territory as far back as the Neolithic period (3000-2100 b.c). The cave was excavated again in 2002–2003, and materials found date it as a residence used in the Mesolithic period. The earliest traces of human inhabitation in the region were discovered in the cave of Spile. Age-long ash waste, bones, and metal objects of the Neolithic period like stone tools and flint were found in the excavations. The case has great historical value, as it is also mentioned by Homer in “Odysseus” the characters of antiquity:” While returning victorious from the Trojan war on its journey to Ithaca , Odysseus , one of the protagonists of the war, stopped in this cave , where he confronted heroically with Cyclops , the inhabitant of the cave”.
Odysseus blinding Polyphemus. Reconstruction, Original 2nd century BC, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Sperlonga, Italy
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The Cave of Spile 24
The Cave of Spile is located in the new part of the town of Himarë, in the bay of the same name. It was excavated for the first time in 1920s and 1939 by Italian archaeologist P.Markone, Ugolini and Luigi Cardini, who found archaeological material that confirmed the occupation of the territory as far back as the Neolithic period (3000-2100 b.c). The cave was excavated again in 2002–2003, and materials found date it as a residence used in the Mesolithic period. The earliest traces of human inhabitation in the region were discovered in the cave of Spile. Age-long ash waste, bones, and metal objects of the Neolithic period like stone tools and flint were found in the excavations. The case has great historical value, as it is also mentioned by Homer in “Odysseus” the characters of antiquity:” While returning victorious from the Trojan war on its journey to Ithaca , Odysseus , one of the protagonists of the war, stopped in this cave , where he confronted heroically with Cyclops , the inhabitant of the cave”.
Odysseus blinding Polyphemus. Reconstruction, Original 2nd century BC, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Sperlonga, Italy
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Himara visualizations of 19th century
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Important visualizations of the Himarë region occurred in the nineteenth century. Traveling diplomats, missionaries, and artists, influenced by the ideas of the European Enlightenment, came through the territories of southern Albania, documenting what they saw along the way. This wave of foreign travelers produced its first maps. There are a series of paintings, engravings, watercolors, and sketches, which address the characteristic subjects of landscape, costumes, and the area populations of the time. Among the prominent artist travelers are the Britons Cartright, Richard Caton Woodville, and the painter Edward Lear. Lear undertook two long trips in the province of Himarë, the first in 1848 and again in 1856. Apart from his travel diaries—in which he marked in great detail his contacts, conversations, and the characteristics of places he visited—Lear drew a large number of landscapes of Himara and its surrounding environments in watercolor, almost all of which are stored in the archives of Harvard University.
Himara and the Himariots (1848)
Road to Himara (1848)
Sunset in Himara (1848)
Himara, during the second trip of Edward Lear in Albania, 1856
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The paintings of Edward Lear, stored in the archives of Harvard University, are accessed in Feb.2015, from: oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~hou01475
Himara visualizations of 19th century
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Important visualizations of the Himarë region occurred in the nineteenth century. Traveling diplomats, missionaries, and artists, influenced by the ideas of the European Enlightenment, came through the territories of southern Albania, documenting what they saw along the way. This wave of foreign travelers produced its first maps. There are a series of paintings, engravings, watercolors, and sketches, which address the characteristic subjects of landscape, costumes, and the area populations of the time. Among the prominent artist travelers are the Britons Cartright, Richard Caton Woodville, and the painter Edward Lear. Lear undertook two long trips in the province of Himarë, the first in 1848 and again in 1856. Apart from his travel diaries—in which he marked in great detail his contacts, conversations, and the characteristics of places he visited—Lear drew a large number of landscapes of Himara and its surrounding environments in watercolor, almost all of which are stored in the archives of Harvard University.
Himara and the Himariots (1848)
Road to Himara (1848)
Sunset in Himara (1848)
Himara, during the second trip of Edward Lear in Albania, 1856
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The paintings of Edward Lear, stored in the archives of Harvard University, are accessed in Feb.2015, from: oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~hou01475
Facts & Figures 28
The town of Himara (approximately 6000 inhabitants) is composed of two neighborhoods, settlements: Himara Castle, which is up in the hill, 150 m above sea level; and the lower Himara –Spille, which is by the sea. Himara Castle was subject of description in this booklet.
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Facts & Figures 28
The town of Himara (approximately 6000 inhabitants) is composed of two neighborhoods, settlements: Himara Castle, which is up in the hill, 150 m above sea level; and the lower Himara –Spille, which is by the sea. Himara Castle was subject of description in this booklet.
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Imprint
Published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany ‘Integrated Sustainable Development of the Southern Coastal Region‘ Rr. “Skenderbej” 21/1 T +355 42 230 414 www.giz.de/en/worldwide/294.html February 2016 Printed by Gent Grafik Address: L.Ali Demi, Rr. Idriz Dollaku., Tiranë – Albania www.gentgrafik.al
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Design and layout PIK Creative Address: Rr. Pjetër Bogdani, nr. 37, Tiranë - Albania www.pik.al Photo credits Armand Habazaj unless otherwise stated Copyright with GIZ Text Irakli Koçollari GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Alternatively: German Federal Foreign Office To get more information about Albania please visit: www.albania.al
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Imprint
Published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany ‘Integrated Sustainable Development of the Southern Coastal Region‘ Rr. “Skenderbej” 21/1 T +355 42 230 414 www.giz.de/en/worldwide/294.html February 2016 Printed by Gent Grafik Address: L.Ali Demi, Rr. Idriz Dollaku., Tiranë – Albania www.gentgrafik.al
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Design and layout PIK Creative Address: Rr. Pjetër Bogdani, nr. 37, Tiranë - Albania www.pik.al Photo credits Armand Habazaj unless otherwise stated Copyright with GIZ Text Irakli Koçollari GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Alternatively: German Federal Foreign Office To get more information about Albania please visit: www.albania.al
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