Skanderbeg Square description and photos - Albania: Tirana (Topic)

Skanderbeg Square description and photos - Albania: Tirana. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Skanderbeg Square.

Photo and description

Skanderbeg Square is the main square of Tirana. It was named so in 1968 in honor of the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg, a monument to whom was installed here.

During the Albanian monarchy, the architecture of the square consisted of several buildings that were blown up during the communist period. In the center of the square there was a fountain, which was surrounded by a road, the Old Bazaar was on the site of the modern Palace of Culture, and where the hotel complex is now there was an Orthodox cathedral. On the site of the Skandenberg monument, there was a statue of Joseph Stalin. The city hall was occupied by the National Historical Museum. For some time there was also a sculptural image of the leader of Albania, Enver Hoxha, it was demolished in 1991 during student protests.

At one time, the ex-mayor of Tirana Edi Rama took certain actions to give the square a modern European look. Since March 2010, the area of the square has been converted into a pedestrian zone with limited public transport access. The water supply for the new fountain uses rainwater to fill it. During construction, new bypass roads around the square were put into operation. The renovation project was funded by Kuwait.

Since September 2011, with the arrival of the new mayor of the city, the previous plan has been revised and changed. Vehicles were returned to the square, bicycle paths were laid. The green parkland south of the Skanderbeg statue has been extended north by several hundred meters, with many trees being planted. Now on the square is the Haji Efem Bay mosque,

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Topic: Skanderbeg Square description and photos - Albania: Tirana.