Tirana Things to Do

The National Art Gallery was closed due to photographing works of the museum's collection when I was visiting the city. They took paintings outside to photograph in the daylight so I saw some of the collection :)

I was walking along the boulevard ‘Bul Deshmoret e Kombit’ and passed the National Art Gallery. Despite I don’t know much about art in general, I decided to give it a try and I found the Art Gallery quite interesting.

The National Art Gallery contains about 4,000 pieces of art and artefacts, both by Albanian and foreign artists, and my visit to the museum was like a quick run through the history of Albania. There were sculptures, statues, paintings and drawings from the 13th century to modern times. I spent most time in the huge hall displaying socialist art, but some of the paintings by artists, who were banned during the Hoxha regime, were also very interesting.

I was not allowed to take photos inside the building.

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The Cathedral of St. Paul or Tirana Cathedral is a rather new cathedral in the centre of Tirana. It was built in year 2000 to replace several earlier historical cathedrals that were destroyed during the communist years.

It was a hot day in Tirana and I was wearing shorts, therefore I wasn’t allowed to enter the Cathedral. I only had a glance of the interior from the entrance, but had a closer look at the concrete cathedral from the outside. I was mostly impressed by the beautiful stained glass mosaic windows.

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The Pyramid is a remarkable building located in the centre of Tirana, and it opened in 1988 as a museum and mausoleum for Dictator Enver Hoxha. The building was designed by the daughter of Hoxha and is said to be the most expensive building ever erected in Albania.

After Hoxha, the Pyramid was used as a cultural and conference centre - and also housed a disco for a period. Today, the building is being heavily renovated to house a theatre – and is not open for public.

When standing in front of the Pyramid you might notice a large bell. It is called the Bell of Peace and was erected in 1999 by Albanian schoolchildren as a memorial to peace. The bell is made of metal from fired bullet casings.

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From the Skanderbeg Square, I was just strolling down the boulevard ‘Bul Deshmoret e Kombit’ and passed Rinia Park (also called the Youth Park) on my right. The park seemed very popular among the locals and I also found it to be a nice place to sit and rest for a while.

There was a green park area, some rather large fountains and a recreation complex with cafés and an Italian restaurant. The name of the complex is ‘Taiwan’ because they donated the fountains you’ll find next to the complex…

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Skanderbeg Square is an open place in the centre of Tirana, and is a convenient starting point for a sightseeing tour of the city.

In the middle of the square there is a big equestrian statue of Skanderbeg (an old national hero), and around the square you’ll find quite a few interesting buildings, for example the ‘National Museum’ (read my tip), the 18th century ‘Mosque of Et’hem Bey’ and its minaret, the ‘Palace of Culture’ (which is home for the Opera & Ballet and the National Library), the Town Hall and a couple of government buildings.

There were a couple of cafés outside the ‘Palace of Culture’, and I thought it was a nice place to sit in the evening and enjoy a cold beer or a drink.

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You’ll find the National Historic Museum at the Skanderbeg Square, where it is located in a very impressive building with an even more impressive mosaic above the entrance. Before you enter the museum, take a moment and enjoy the building and the mosaic. The mosaic represents the flow of Albanian history.

I visited the museum to learn more about the years when Albania was a closed country, but had to leave with unfinished business. The area with the exhibitions from the years during the regime of Hoxha was closed for restoration! I don’t know when it will be open for public again…

Instead I took a stroll through the various sections of the museum (prehistory, the Middle Ages, the National Revival and other…), and there were many interesting items on display. I especially think the complete doorway of the church of St. Gjon Vladimi and the many religious icons were remarkable.

Also the temporary exhibition of the life of Mother Theresa was interesting. It was on display in the huge entrance hall at the museum. The entrance hall was the only place you were allowed to take photos.

this is the main mosque of Tirana, and one of the most beatiful in Albania
it was ade during Ottoman rule

when the communist rule feel in Albania, near to 10.000 Albanians entered to this mosque to
raise the Albanian flag

despite most part of mosques and churches were destroyed during Communist rule (the most anti-religion communist rule in the history)... this mosque was preserved because it was considerer a national monument