Fier, Albania

🇦🇱 Fier is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north, the Vjosë in the south and the foothills of the Mallakastra Mountains in the southeast. Fier experiences a seasonal Mediterranean climate effected by its proximity to the Adriatic Sea in the west.

Fier was founded in the 19th century by the Vrioni family and officially in 1864 by Omer Pasha Vrioni II who was the father of Kahreman Pasha Vrioni (1889-1955). It is 11 km (7 mi) from the ruins of the ancient settlement of Apollonia which was founded in 588 BCE by Ancient Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth, on a site initially occupied by Illyrian tribes.

Fier is an important terminus in south-western Albania and is served by the A2 motorway and SH 4 highway, forming a north–south corridor in Albania and part of the Adriatic–Ionian motorway.

Fier is located on the bank of Gjanica in the south-east of the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north and Vjosë in the south of Fier near the Adriatic Sea in south-western Albania. The municipality of Fier is encompassed in the County of Fier within the Southern Region of Albania and consists of the adjacent administrative units of Cakran, Dërmenas, Frakull, Levan, Libofshë, Mbrostar, Portëz, Qendër, Topojë and Fier as its seat. It stretches from the mouth of Seman within the Divjakë-Karavasta National Park in the north-west across the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast until it reaches the mouth of Vjosë in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape in the south-west, also forming the southern border of the municipality. The area of the municipality Fier is 619.9 km2.

Economy Fier is an important industrial city and is built by the Gjanica tributary of the Seman River, and is surrounded by marshland. With nearby Patos town, it is the centre of the oil, bitumen and chemical industries in Albania. Fier is a convenient place to stay to visit the major Classical sites at nearby Byllis and Apollonia. Main roads from the central square lead south to Vlora (35 km or 22 mi) and east to the oil and industrial town of Patos (8 km or 5.0 mi). Also, 19 km (12 mi) to the west of the city centre, one will find the picturesque Seman Beach.

Fier is also known for its olive trees production (Kalinjioti cultivar) which contributes to the olive oil sector of Albania. Together with Vlora, Berat and Elbasan they provide almost 90% of olive oil production.

The city also plays an important economic role in the development of the county since it produces many goods such as sugar, bread and animal products.

The creation of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline raises the economy of Fier and Albania highly. The pipe line will be crossing Fier and a Pumping Station will be built in Fier. This shows an open road to investment and employment of the city and country. The Pipe line has started since 2015 and is expected to be completed in 2020. This will Supply Albania Natural Gas.

Transport There are Urban Buses available throughout the city. There are also buses at the bus terminal in Fier that can take you throughout places in Albania and Balkan region. There used to be trains during the communism era and till this day there has been no movement of the trains. The SH4 is a state road that takes you from Durres to Fier. The SH8 is also a state road that will take you from Fier to Vlore. There is a project for the Fier and Vlore highway.