Vlorė, also Vlora, Vlonė, or Valona, city and port in southwestern Albania, on the Bay of Vlorės (an arm of the Adriatic Sea). The capital of Vlorė District, the city exports petroleum (from the Kuēovė 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 Chāteau 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 Vlorės, 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 Vlorė 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.
