Competition launched for Tirana anniversary logo

TIRANA, Feb. 17 – The Municipality of Tirana has announced a competition on the design of a logo which will accompany a series of events scheduled to mark the 400th anniversary of the city’s foundation. “The logo should be a contemporary image. We are interested in accompanying all these activities with this new image of the city which will follow us in the coming months,” says the municipality in a statement inviting artists to submit their projects in the next two weeks.
Events on Tirana’s 400th anniversary started on February 11, which marked Tirana’s 94th anniversary as Albania’s capital city, with a concert by the Tirana ensemble.
Tirana will be celebrating its 400th anniversary of foundation 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.
“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.
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.