Vlorë County: History
During Roman antiquity, the city of Vlorë, the homonymous county capital, was known as Aulón (Ancient Greek: Αυλών, Latin: Aulona, meaning channel or glen in Greek, and possibly a translation of another indigenous name). The city was mentioned for the first time by Ptolemy (2nd century CE) among the towns of the Illyrian Taulantii.
The coastal area of Vlorë was one of those Illyrian sites that had experienced pre-urban activity beginning from the 11th–10th centuries BCE. In classical antiquity the Bay of Vlorë constituted the southern limit of the Illyrian coast. The coastal area of the Bay was settled by Ancient Greek colonists, who traditionally founded Oricum, Thronion and Aulon. The latter city, however, dates to the Roman period. but a large fortified port-town that was inhabited from the 6th century BCE to the 2nd century AD is placed, now partially submerged, in Triport, northwest of present-day Vlorë. Illyrians were found in the hinterland of the Bay. The Ceraunian Mountains represented a natural border between Illyria and Epirus. The area to the south of the mountains was inhabited by the Epirote tribe of the Chaonians. On the Epirote coast the Ancient Greeks developed the town of Sarandë, which they referred to as Onchesmos (or Anchiasmos). Onchesmos flourished as the port of the Chaonian capital of Phoenice (modern-day Finiq). Another Chaonian settlement was Chimera, identified with Himarë,
In the Middle Ages, the region was part of the Byzantine Empire, while during the Slavic invasion there is evidence that Byzantine rule was maintained in the area.
In 1204 the region became part of the Despotate of Epirus, but later returned to the Byzantine Empire. In 1335 Albanian tribes were in possession of the area between Berat and the bay of Vlorë, while in 1345 after the Serbian invasion an independent principality was formed in Vlorë.
In the middle of the 14th century the aristocratic Delvina family ruled Delvinë, and in 1354 Mehmet Ali Pasha Delvina was testified as the owner of the castle and the city.
The Ottoman Empire captured the region in 1417, while in 1432, Albanian rebels freed Vlorë and expelled the Ottomans from the area. As part of the Ottoman Empire, The region became a sanjak centre in Rumelia Eyalet under the name Avlonya.
On November 28, 1912, Ismail Kemal declared the Albanian National Awakening in Vlorë, during the First Balkan War. The region became Albania's first freed region following its independence, but was invaded by Italy in december 1915, during World War I. The region remained occupied by Italian forces until an Albanian rebellion forced the Italians out of Albania in 1920. Italy invaded Vlorë again in 1939. The region remained under Italian occupation until Italy surrendered to the allies in 1943. Subsequently, Nazi Germany occupied the region until 1944. The city was liberated in 1944 by communist forces under Enver Hoxha.
During World War II, Sazan Island became the site of a German and Italian submarine base and naval installations; these installations were heavily bombed by the Allies.
After World War II, with Albania ruled by a Communist Party, the port was leased out to the Soviet Union for use as a submarine base. During 1960 and 1961 it served as a theater in the aftermath of the decision of Enver Hoxha to denounce Nikita Khrushchev's reforms. …