Tirana is a small capital city with a big heart
Tirana, designated as the capital of Albania in the 1920s, is one of Europe’s youngest capital and small in European measures. Italian planners took a significant interest in designing the new Capital city of Albania.
Big square and boulevards
When the Italian architects came to Tirana in the 1920s, they had many references from home, so they started planning a big square with a wide boulevard. The marble-tiled Skanderbeg square seems so big with its curved surface. Around the square, you find the Operahouse, the National Historical Museum, The National bank, a mosque, the Clock-tower, and the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg statue.
The city center
What is nice about Tirana is that the city center is relatively small. Therefore you can easily reach the essential sights just on foot. Unfortunately, the National Gallery was closed while I was in Tirana, and there were no performances at the Operahouse. I visited the National Historical Museum and two museums dedicated to the communist period. The Bunk Art 2 and the House of leaves. I guess much of what I learned here is not unique to Albania. However, it is still so upsetting to see and read what people in the middle of Europe went through just 30 years ago.
Tirana in bright colors
In the 2000s, Tirana had a mayor who wanted to brighten the city with bold colors on ministries buildings and apartment blocks. Not everything was a great success, but it did brighten up the town.
Even the football stadium has got its bright colors.
Bllooku – The Block
Today you can not see any evidence that this area once was reserved for the country’s leaders. It has become the major nightlife destination in Tirana. This area is today crammed with bars, clubs, and young people. My favorite became Cioccolatitaliani Blloku, and you could get chocolate in any form or shape. Even the burgers are excellent.
Restaurants
Tirana is full of restaurants, but I will mention two that I tried. They are both very popular. The first one is Oda, a small restaurant with traditional Albanian delicacies. You feel like you are sitting in someone’s living room from the Ottoman era. At Mullichiu, they specialize in bread and nuts, and they have a refined and rustic menu. I will recommend both restaurants.
I do not manage to write about everything of interest in Tirana in one post. But I hope you get a small glimpse of this friendly and nice capital city. If you have not read my other post about Albania, you find them here. Albania in general. Berat and Gjirokaster.
