Places of Interest - Albania

"tirana"

introduction

Tirana is the capital and by far the largest and most important city in Albania. The city is located in the center of the country on the Tiranë and Lanë rivers. In 1920, when Tirana took the baton from the previous capital of Durres, it was only a small town that could become the capital by way of a compromise between the north and the south of Albania. Tirana is not a tourist city but that does not mean you will get bored in the capital. The government and parliament, the Assembly of Albania, are located there, and the presidential palace is also in the center of the city but also remains of the Ottoman, Italian and communist past of the city are modest highlights. With its elegant boulevards, large squares and very hip inhabitants, it is a chaotic but lively city with lots of exhaust fumes but also popular terraces.

highlights

Tirana:

Central in the city is the “Skanderbeg” square, which has enormous dimensions and was fully refurbished in 2011 and 2012. It is named after the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg, who stood firm against the advancing Turks in the 15th century for several decades. Also a Skanderbeg Monument is built on the square. On the edge of it are several government buildings, the town hall, the large Palace of Culture with inside the national opera and library, the Clock Tower, the Et'hem Bey Mosque and the National History Museum. In a southerly direction, the stately Bulevardi Déshmorët e Kombit crosses the Lanërivier. This avenue houses a number of government buildings and the pyramidal former Mausoleum of Enver Hoxha (Piramida) and ends at the Sheshi Nënë Tereza ('Mother Teresaplein'), where the main building and the rectorate of the University of Tirana (Universiteti i Tiranës) are located.

Just south of Sheshi Nënë Tereza and Sheshi Italia, the 230-hectare Parku i Madh ('big park') is located on and around a hill, the green lung of the city that is popular with joggers, walkers and fishermen. The Blloku district ('the block'), southwest of Parku Rinia, is bordered to the east by the Rruga Ibrahim Rugova and to the north by the Lanë. Blloku was reserved for senior officials of the regime during the communist period, and forbidden territory for the common man. Today it is a popular nightlife area, with numerous restaurants, cafes and bars. On the Rruga Ismail Qemali lies the former home of dictator Enver Hoxha opposite a chain of catering businesses with terraces full of young people in the summer. The Rruga Ludovik Shllaku and Rruga Luigj Gurakuqi connect the Skanderbeg square with Sheshi Avni Rustemi northeast of it. The square provides access to the central market Pazari i Ri ('new bazaar') but usually also houses stalls, especially with olives and fruits. South of the Rruga Luigj Gurakuqi, the Rruga George W. Bush leads to the Lanë, with at the western end the statue of the Unknown Partisan and near the eastern end the Ottoman arch bridge Ura e Tabakëve ('tanners bridge').

history

According archeologic treasures the area of Tirana appearantly is inhabited since the ancient Stone Age (paleolithic). In the current city remains of a Roman villa from the second or third century are found. At the beginning of the sixth century, the Byzantine emperor Justinian I made a fortification in Tirana, parts of the walls of which can still be seen in the center of the city today. It was not until the beginning of the 17th century that Tirana became a real city: according to tradition, the Ottoman general and nobleman Sulejman Pasha founded the city in 1614: at a crossroad he built a mosque (the current Et'hem Bey mosque), marketplace and hammam. Tirana remained a small city until the beginning of the 20th century, until the capital of Albania was moved from Durres to Tirana in 1920. The reason was that Tirana was much more defensible than the coastal previous capital. While the diplomats tried to keep things afloat, the Italians built large boulevards in the new capital and in a short time Tirana became the largest and most important city in the country. The palace of King Zog I and the parliament building were built in the 1920s. In WWII the city was pretty damaged by the violence of war. The Communists who ruled the country after the war broke off the rest of the old city and built large squares. Even today there is still a lot going on in the field of renewal and modernization of Tirana.

tips & advice (2015)

There is a fairly new airport in Tirana which is about 25 km northwest of the center. The train station is located next to one of the bus stations in the north of the city center. There are many bus stations in the capital of Albania and even local people don’t know from which destination busses are leaving. They are located in parts of the street and/or at a open square. The bus to Shkodra for example runs from Zogu Zi (Shkodra bus station) and from "Boulevard Gjergj Fishta" which is the southern bus station. Finally, there is the south-eastern bus station with buses to for example "Pogradec" (Macedonia) and Korca in the "Rruga Dervish Hima" street.

Tirana - Bajram Churri: first you have to take the green local bus "Unaza" from the hostel (see below) to the "Shkodra" bus station (Zogu Zi) - cost 30 Leke - duration 10 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. From there you have to walk back some 500 meters. On the other side of the road is a small dilapidated piece of land where buses leave from. Drivers tell you this leaves every hour but be aware because I’ve got the feeling that they wait till the bus is full before departing. We left in time at 10:00. Duration about 4.5 to 5.5 hours. Costs 1000 Leke. You cross the border with Kosovo (and back to Albania) so keep your passport ready.

Near the district "Blokku" is on a corner (near Enver Hoxa's old house) the "fast food restaurant" "Mr. Chicken "located - a delicious half chicken with fries and cola costs less than 500 Leke. A perfect place to have a beer is in front of the "Medressa" building in the "rr Dibret" street in the northeast of the center. Under the trees you can relax here at your leisure and enjoy a delicious "tapped" "Tirana" beer - half liter for 120 Leke.

Name: "Milingona" hostel

Address: Riza Cerova street No. 197/2

Price: 1400 Leke (dormitory)

Phone nr. : + 355 69 20 49 836

Website: www.milingonahostel.com

Content:

For us it was a disaster to find the hostel so prepare yourself; an I-phone with internet, a good card, time and a lot of patience will bring you to this nice hostel. It is still quite a walk from the real center but it is close to a busy road with some shops. It has several floors and is run by an English-Albanian couple. A small garden, several rooms (including three dormitories with different numbers of beds) including breakfast and a large cozy (outside) terrace and a common room. You can sleep with your tent in the garden (small), there is WIFI and you can book a tour from here. Breakfast is a buffet and could have been slightly more if you ask me; there is bread, cheese, jam, tomato, coffee, tea and cucumber. Especially Juliette, the owner is a source of information.