Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
At Tirana, Albania it is hard to not get into contact with the history of former communist dictator Enver Hoxha. He was born in 1908 at Gjirokastra and as his family was wealthy he studied at France and Belgium. There he got in contact with communist ideas and when he returned home he first worked as a teacher for the French language.
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The regime of Enver Hoxha made sure to create enough bunkers throughout the country. But where would the government flee to in case of an attack on Tirana, Albania? In the eastern suburbs of the capital city you can find the answer: a giant fallout shelter. Close to the Dajti Ekspres you can find a long tunnel through a mountain and when leaving the tunnel and passing some buildings you can find the bunker entrances.
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If you want to escape from the city of Tirana, Albania to see the mountains and watch the city from above there is one very good option: to go to the house mountain of the city, the Dajti. It is 1613 meters high and located in the East of the city. On top you’ll find a restaurant and a rotating bar as well as a viewing platform. The mountain offers good opportunities for hiking, climbing, mountain biking and paragliding.
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The Sky Tower is my most favorite place for watching sundown and having a drink at Tirana, Albania. It is a skyscraper at the city quarter Blloku and located close to the Rinia park and the river Lana. You can easily find it as it has a rotating restaurant on top that turns 360 degrees within an hour. If you want to dine there you should reserve in advance, but there is also a reservation-free bar on the top level.
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I’ve seen nothing like the zoological garden of Tirana, Albania before – and that has good and bad aspects. It is very uncommon as it is rather a park with animals located between high apartment houses. You can find it between the great park / the artificial lake and the botanical garden of the city. On a lake you can find many birds, within fenced areas you can see llamas, ostrichs and bisons.
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Getting some relaxation close to the city center is pretty easy in Tirana, Albania: in the south of the city you can find a giant park on a hill, the Parku i madh i Tiranës. First plans for creating this green area date back to 1939, but the realization of this 234 hectares large park started after World War II. Part of the park is also an artificial lake created between 1958 and 1960, the Liqeni Artificial i Tiranës.
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On a hill in the southeast of Tirana, Albania you can find the martyr’s cemetery or partisan’s cemetery (Varrezat e Dëshmorëve të Kombit). It was created for the partisans that fought against the occupation forces in World War II (Germany and Italy). 28.000 graves can be found on the hill. Communist leader Enver Hoxha was also buried here but later brought to a more humble graveyard.
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For a long time nobody really knew what was happening in the house with leaves growing around it – but everybody had a suspicion. First the Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo) of the occupying Germans used the building for interrogations, then the Albanian secret service, the Sigurimi, took it over for the same purpose. It became their central office between 1944 and 1991. Since 2017 the Shtëpia e Gjetheve (‘House of Leaves‘) is now open as the Museum of Secret Surveillance.
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The national art gallery of Tirana, Albania or Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve is located close to the city centre at Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit. You can easily find it behind the artwork ‘The Cloud‘ (REJA). From the outside the building doesn’t look too promising but it has a good collection of 4100 historic works – beginning in the 13th century CE – and the presentation of these is very good. On the ground floor changing exhibitions are shown, often with contemporary art.
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The Muzeu Historik Kombëtar is located directly at the Skanderbeg square in the heart of Tirana, Albania. You can’t overlook this building as it carries a giant mosaic (called Shqipëria / Albania) that shows Albanians from different eras – only the red star above Mother Albania has been removed. The museum shows the national history of the country chronologially from ancient times until today.
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