L'amphitheatre de Durres

We stayed in Duress for a week in early June 2025 and took the opportunity to visit this TWHS site. I have noted the other reviews and sadly the site remains the same and probably has deteriorated further. The site is central in the city of Duress and the urban sprawl surrounds the site, which I would say if excavated further perhaps would uncover considerably more of the Ampitheatre itself. This may or may not include artifacts or other mosaics. There is one notable mosaic in the ruins which is open to viewing. Cost of entry to the site is 300 LEK, which is very reasonable. 

The site does not appear to be well kept with rubbish strewn throughout the site. Relevant areas within the site though does have information panels to describe some of the more notable areas / structures within the Ampitheatre. It is noted that in 1991, that its WHS was declined, although it was of great significance to Duress and Albania itself. For this significance to remain, some investment is needed to maintain and preserve this site. I cannot see this site being inscribed in its current state, albeit it was nice to wander around the site and visit.     

I visited this tWHS twice in spring 2022, just upon arrival and just before departure at Tirana International Airport which is about 30-45 minutes away by car. The amphitheatre is literally in the middle of Durres' urban sprawl, Albania's second most populated seaside city, so I don't think it has much chance of ever getting inscribed. That said, it is the largest amphitheatre in the Balkan Peninsula and has a capacity for 20,000 people.

Durres was founded by Ancient Greek colonists from Corinth and Corcyra under the name of Epidamnos around the 7th century BC in cooperation with the local Illyrian Taulantii. Also known as Dyrrachium, Durres essentially developed as it became an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor the Byzantine Empire. The Via Egnatia, the continuation of the Via Appia which will soon be up for inscription as a WHS, started in the city and led across the interior of the Balkan Peninsula to Constantinople in the east.

Practically only around half has been excavated and a lot of archaeological work has been conducted in close cooperation with Italian institutes and universities. The only reason to enter the site proper is to be able to walk inside the excavated part and see a pretty small mosaic behind a metal gate and if you pay enough attention also a number of ancient graffiti and items inside the walls such as a shell. Most of the artefacts found in the Durres amphitheatre can be seen at …

In preparation of my ‘Balkan Tour 2015’ I had looked into Albania’s TWHS for ones that would be interesting enough to add to my itinerary. The country currently has a T List of 4, but none of these sites look very promising except the easy extension of the Ohrid WHS into the Albanian side of the lake. The Ancienty City of Apollonia is the most recent addition to the T List, but it is yet another Greek-Roman site. So I had decided to skip them all. But unexpectedly I had half a day to spare on my last day in Albania, due to a late departure of my bus from Tirana to Struga in Macedonia. I used it to get to Durrës and visit the T listed Amphitheatre there.

Durrës is a port and Albania’s second city, only a 40 minute bus ride away from Tirana. Its amphitheatre lies in the city center, but isn’t as easy to find as many others of its kind. There are one or two signs, but mostly you’re up to yourself discovering the fairly sizeable structure between the houses. Coming from the bus station, there’s a flight of stairs that looks brand new which will take you to a view point above the amphitheatre. From there you can walk around it and get to the entrance. The site is fenced off nowadays, and there’s a small entrance fee of 300 Lek (2 EUR).

In Roman times this city was called Dyrrachium. It was an …