The city of Fier was liberated from Nazi-fascist occupation. Fier is the largest city in the Myzeqe region, serving as the center of the municipality, the district, and the county bearing the same name, which includes the Fier, Lushnjë, and Mallakastër districts. At the beginning of the 17th century it was a small village; it began to be populated and developed from the middle of the 18th century, after the construction of the stone bridge over the river Gjanicë, which crosses the city. Fier became an important commercial center, especially for the sale of agricultural products of the surrounding territories, and a traffic junction between Vlora, Berat and Durrës. Residential buildings were added and the population grew with residents coming from the surrounding provinces in the early 20th century. During the period 1924-1939, the city expanded towards the south and west. On August 14, 1935, the Fier Uprising took place in Fier. On October 15, 1944, Fier was liberated. During the retreat, the Germans also destroyed the stone bridge over Gjanicë.
On the eve of liberation, Fier was a small urban center with a mill factory and 5 small oil factories, along with 3 oil processing plants employing 330 workers. The roads were unpaved and reed and mud buildings predominated. After liberation, Fier became an important industrial and agricultural center of the country. (In the photo: Moment from the fighting for the liberation of Fier.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 670-671.
Photo: © Fier Historical Museum
Graphic processing: AHCF
