| Capital of Albania since 1920, Tirana
is compact and pleasant enough to explore on foot. It
lies almost exactly midway between Rome and Istanbul,
and its architecture has been influenced by both, as well
as by the Soviet Union. Most visitors to Tirana begin
at Skënderberg Square, a great open space in the
heart of the city. Mt Dajti rises to the east, and the
market on that side of town is well worth exploring.
The National Museum of History is the largest and finest
museum in Albania, and you'll find it next to the 15-storey
Tirana International Hotel, the tallest building in
the country. A huge mosaic mural entitled Albania covers
the façade of the building. To the east, the
Palace of Culture has a theatre, restaurant, cafes and
art galleries, and the Soviet influence is apparent
in its clunky architecture. The entrance to the National
Library is on the southern side of the building. Opposite
that is the cupola and minaret of the Mosque of Ethem
Mey, built in 1793 and one of the city's most distinctive
buildings. Tirana's clock tower, built in 1830, stands
beside the mosque.
A statue of Enver Hoxha once stood on the high marble
plinth between the National Museum of History and the
State Bank in Skënderberg Square, but it was toppled
after the return to democracy, and a small fairground
now takes up the centre of the square. Over the Lana
River to the south are the sloping white marble walls
of the former Enver Hoxha Museum, which is occasionally
used as an exhibition centre and slated to be turned
into a disco. The red star has been removed from the
pyramid-shaped building's tip. Further south on Bulevardi
Dëshmorët e Kombit are the ultramodern Palace
of Congress and the Archaeological Museum, which has
a fantastic selection of objects from prehistoric times
to the Middle Ages.
The best budget accommodation in Tirana is through
private rented apartments or with local families. The
formerly cheap state-owned hotels have either closed
or been renovated, and now ask substantially higher
prices. New hotels are similarly out of the budget traveller's
reach. There are plenty of places to eat cheaply on
Skënderberg Square and on Bulevardi Dëshmorët
e Kombit, and small and stylish bars have sprung up
all over town.
|
