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Vlora the City of the Indipendence
Vlorë, also Vlora, Vlonë, or Valona, city and port in southwestern Albania, on the Bay of Vlorës
(an arm of the Adriatic Sea). The capital of Vlorë District, the city exports petroleum (from the Kuçovë oil field), bitumen,
olives, olive oil, and fruit. Industries include tannin extracting, rice milling, olive oil refining, fishing, and the manufacture
of cement, soap, and dairy products. The city has a museum, a theater, and technical schools; the medieval Kanine Château
is to the southeast. Beaches are nearby, and at the mouth of the bay is the island of Sazan (Italian Saseno), which was used
by the Italians as a fortress in both World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) and by the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics as a submarine base after World War II until 1961.
The Greek colony of Aulon, founded at the Bay of
Vlorës, dates from the 5th century, although the
site is mentioned earlier. At times partly
independent, the city has been held by the
Byzantines, Normans (1081),
Serbs (1345),
Venetians (1417-1464, 1690-1691), and Turks
(after 1464). Albanian independence was proclaimed in Vlorë
in 1912, but the city was held by the Italians during both world wars and was known as Valona or Avlona. Population (1990
estimate) 73,800.
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