Korça the city of serenades (https://albania.al/destinations/korca)
From its beginnings as a feudal estate in the 13th century, to its Ottoman past where the local lord, Koja Mirahor İlyas Bey, a Muslim convert active in the Ottoman siege of Constantinople returned to the site and built the mosque that bears his name, the French and Greek occupation until nowadays, Korçë is an important center of Albanian history, art and culture.
Over the centuries, Korçë has been a centre of commerce and trade. The first school to use the Albanian language opened there in 1887, and its building is now the museum of education.
Korca is a very liveable city. The city is known for its typical quarters, low houses and villas and cobblestone streets. Green spaces, beer gardens, a large university campus and several important institutions and cultural monuments such as the National Museum of Medieval Art, Archeological Museum, the Museum of the Oriental Art “Bratko”, Gjon Mili Photography Museum etc.
Korça is well known for its carnival and the different festivals around food and drinks, lakrori fest, beer fest or the apple fest, highlighting again its importance as a culinary destination. Musically, the city is known for the local songs, called serenata, from the love ballads men used to belt out from the city’s balconies and courtyards in the 1930s.
Korça is a very good base for exploring the scenery and amazing Byzantine churches in the beautiful mountain villages of Voskopoja and Vithkuq, as well as Dardhe and Boboshtica.
Close to Korça you can visit Prespa Lake (which is the country’s largest National Park), Drenova National Park, the Illyrian tummulus of Kamenica and much more.
