Pogradec (Albanian pronunciation: [pɔɡɾaˈdɛt͡s], Macedonian: Поградец) is the eleventh most populous city in Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality.

[5] Nevertheless, the Illyrian Royal Tombs in the adjacent unit of Proptisht are on the Albanian tentative list for becoming a World Heritage Site.

[8][9] From the 8th until the 14th century, Pogradec area was captured by various medieval states such as the Bulgarian, Byzantine and Serbian Empires as well as by noble Albanian families such as Gropa.

In the middle of 15th century the area became part of the League of Lezhë and after Skanderbeg's death in 1468, it was invaded by the Ottomans who kept it until Albania's Independence in 1912.

Italian occupation of Pogradec was interrupted due to Greco-Italian War and Greek troops occupied the city between 30 November 1940 and 14 April 1941.

[10] Defined in an area of 584.77 km2 (226 sq mi), the municipality of Pogradec is encompassed in the county of Korçë within the Southern Region of Albania and consists of the adjacent administrative units of Buçimas, Çërravë, Dardhas, Proptisht, Trebinjë, Udenisht, Velçan and Pogradec as its seat.

Translake transport started on 15 June 2014 with a tourist ferry between Pogradec and Ohrid, but the service is sporadic and unreliable.

Pogradec is well known for its famous writers and poets such as Lasgush Poradeci and Mitrush Kuteli, and lately Luan Starova.

The main characters of Luan Starova's cycle of novels, "The Balkan Saga", are the author's own parents and their family, who fled Pogradec for Macedonia during World War II.

Separated from their old hometown and their relatives by the Albania-Yugoslavia border during the Enver Hoxha's era, they would often look at Pogradec through a binocular from the vantage point of Monastery of Saint Naum on the other side of the lake.

Many professional volleyball teams from Albania and other Balkan countries participate in a championship which lasts about two weeks.

Some of the main recurring cultural events in the city are: "Puppet Theater Festival" - Takes place every June.