Events, which are organized by the municipality and the Tirana Association, will kick off on February 11, which marks the 94th anniversary of Tirana as Albania’s capital and span through the whole of 2014
TIRANA, Feb. 3 – Tirana will be celebrating its 400th anniversary of foundation and 94 years as the country’s capital this year with a series of events tracing its development from the early 17th century to the current modern city which is the centre of political, economic and cultural life in Albania.
Events, which are organized by the municipality and the Tirana Association, will kick off on February 11, which marks the 94th anniversary of Tirana as Albania’s capital and span through the whole of 2014.
“The Municipality of Tirana has planned a tight agenda, identifying all this period in a historical, urban development and trade aspect but also the evolution of the community during the past four centuries,” says Arben Skenderi, the head of the culture department at the Municipality of Tirana.
Scientific conferences, including publications such as old maps and books, trade fairs, sports activities will be held under the motto “Tirana 400 years as a city.”
Arben Tafaj, the head of the Tirana Association, has proposed the movement of the statue of Sulejman Pasha, the founder of the Albanian capital, to a more prominent site close to the old mosque of Tirana. The initiative is also supported by Tirana Prefect Sadi Vorpsi who proposes placing the monument in front of the Barrikada street.
Tirana was established in 1614 by Sulejman Pasha from the village of Mullet. Firstly, he constructed a mosque, a bakery and a Turkish sauna.
However, the capital outskirts boast settlements and archeological heritage dating back from ancient times such as the Paleochristian basilica near Peza of the 3rd century (Durak village), and the 4th century basilica of Tirana or the Church of Kroi i Sh쯧jinit.
The Tirana district also has two fortresses, the 4th-century Petrela fortress and the 15th- century Preza fortress.
The capital owes much of its characteristic architecture to Italian architects, who designed major public buildings and squares in Albania from 1925 to 1943. In Tirana, Italian planners and architects designed the main square named after the national hero Skanderbeg, the central boulevard, the ministry buildings, the national bank and the town hall.
Traditional objects used in Tirana households since 1920, when Tirana became the capital city of Albania are being displayed in a permanent exhibition at the Museum of Monumental Clocks. The exhibition “Culture and continuity” features traditional objects such as jewelry, wooden and clothes items created by local Tirana craftsmen.
Lonely Planet on Tirana
Lonely Planet tourist guide which back in 2011 ranked Albania as the top global destination to go to describes Tirana as having turned into lively and colourful during the past two decades of transition to democracy and free market. “Lively, colourful Tirana is the beating heart of Albania, where this tiny nation’s hopes and dreams coalesce into a vibrant whirl of traffic, brash consumerism and unfettered fun. Having undergone a transformation of extraordinary proportions since it awoke from its communist slumber in the early 1990s, Tirana is now unrecognisable, with its buildings painted in horizontal primary colours, and public squares and pedestrianised streets a pleasure to wander.
Trendy Blloku buzzes with well-dressed nouvelle bourgeoisie hanging out in bars or zipping between boutiques, while the city’s grand boulevards are lined with fascinating relics of its Ottoman, Italian and communist past – from delicate minarets to loud socialist murals. Tirana’s traffic does daily battle with both itself and pedestrians in a constant scene of unmitigated chaos. Loud, crazy, colourful and dusty – Tirana is never dull.”
