Durres Archaeological Museum

Durres was founded as Epidamnos in the seventh century BC and became Dyrrachium under Rome, the western terminus of the Via Egnatia and one of the largest cities on the Adriatic, and the archaeological museum on the seafront holds what has come out of it: Hellenistic and Roman sculpture, a large collection of funerary stelae, mosaic panels, a substantial group of small terracotta figurines and votive objects from a sanctuary of Aphrodite, coins, glass and grave goods. The building was rebuilt and the display renewed after the 2019 earthquake damaged it. It is the largest archaeological collection in the country outside Tirana and makes sense of a city whose Roman remains are otherwise scattered under the modern streets.

What you actually see

• Roman funerary stelae - a large group of carved gravestones.
• Terracotta votive figurines - the collection from the Aphrodite sanctuary.
• Mosaic panels - floors lifted from the ancient city.
• Hellenistic and Roman sculpture - the statuary of Dyrrachium.

When to go

Year round; it is indoors. One to two hours. Closed on some Mondays. It was damaged in the 2019 earthquake and the display has been reorganised since, so older accounts are out of date.

Honest expectations

English labelling is limited. The building and display have changed since the earthquake and some material is not on show. It is small for the importance of the city. The seafront around it is heavily built up.

Nearby

The Venetian tower is on the seafront; the amphitheatre lies a short walk inland.