Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The Et’hem bey mosque (Xhamia e Et’hem Beut) is a highly decorated tiny mosque in the center of Tirana, Albania – next to the Skanderbeg place (Sheshi Skënderbej). It was built between 1794 and 1821 and is a typical example of an ancient mosque with only one cupola. The mosque is much too small for such a house of prayer in the center of a capital city – but it will remain as it has its place in history.
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People going to Tirana, Albania most often start their visit at the Skanderbeg square (Sheshi Skënderbej), the heart of the city. It is a giant square created between 1917 and 1930. The square has been redesigned several times since then and contained first a fountain destroyed during World War II and afterwards a lot of space was used for roads, many cars were passing by each day. Today it is vast pedestrian-only area with many examples of Socialist architecture and an important memorial.
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Especially communist states love to create big statues of their leaders. But what to do with them when times change? In some countries they were simply destroyed, others created exhibitions like the Memento Park near Budapest, Hungary. In Tirana, Albania the big memorials have just been moved into the backyard of the national art gallery Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve. Without any explanation these contemporary witnesses are standing there like an odd silent crowd.
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The pyramid of Tirana, Albania is a ruin at the city center: it was supposed to be teared down to make place for a new parliament building – now it is planned to be a youth centre, but yet no progress is visible. It was opened in 1988 is a museum about the former leader Enver Hoxha who died in 1985. On top of it there was a red star and red light illuminated its shape. It was the materialized personality cult arround Hoxha.
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The city quarter ‘Blloku‘ of Tirana, Albania is the place to be for young Albanians in the evening hours. Here you can find good bars and restaurants, next to the right places for nightlife. But that wasn’t always like this – the city quarter was during communist times reserved for the representatives and truest followers of the party (Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë, PPSH).
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When you’re walking through the city center of Tirana, Albania you might see a strange structure made of metal and plastics in front of the art gallery (Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve). It is called ‘REJA‘ meaning ‘The Cloud‘ – you can climb on top or take a seat underneath. Currently it is used for different cultural events.
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The Marmorbad is the last preserved representative bath in late baroque style. It is located in a building next to the orangery at the Karlsaue in Kassel, Germany. It was built between 1722 and 1728 by the order of Landgrave Carl of Hesse-Cassel. It has three floors and a pool at the center – but it was never used for its orginal purpose.
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The Naturpark Habichtswald close to Kassel, Germany offers numerous nice hiking trails. One of the best leads along the river Ahne – beginning at its source near the Essigberg. Following this trail you will pass a three kilometers long chestnut alley (the ‘Kastanienallee‘), you can make a detour to the Silbersee lake and you will see the Ahnegraben; an area where the river floats through a deep valley and creates little waterfalls.
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From the year 1880 to the year 1936 basalt was gathered at a quarry named ‘Igelsburg‘ (after a former wooden castle close-by) in the Habichtswald near Kassel, Germany. It existed there because of volcanic activity millions of years ago. Basalt was in the past used for buildings like the Herkules monument or the Löwenburg castle – but it is an imperfect material that deteriorates fast. As there was no need for the quarry anymore the area filled with water and a new lake was created: the Silbersee (‘silver lake’).
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It is the largest castle ruin of northern Hesse and you can’t overlook it because it is located on the 492 meters high Weidelsberg mountain: the Weidelsburg at Wolfhagen, Germany. It has been built somewhen around the year 1111 CE and was important because of its strategic location between the landgraviate of Hesse, the electorate of Mainz and the principality of Waldeck. From the 16th century on it was not used anymore and became a ruin.
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