Cultural Tour in Tirana including House of Leaves

The best place to start your sightseeing is Skanderbeg Square. Not only is Skanderbeg Square Tirana’s main square, it’s also home to some of the city’s best known attractions. The large plaza is named after Gjergj Kastrioti, an Albanian national hero who went by the name Skanderbeg.
In the middle of the square stands Skanderbeg Statue, while around it you’ll find neo-Renaissance buildings and interesting landmarks such as the Opera & Ballet Theater, the National Library, and various government buildings.

While you will have already learned a bit about Albania’s communist era in other museums around Tirana, the House of Leaves is a great museum to visit if you want to learn more. The building was the headquarters for the secret police and now serves as a museum to reveal the way in which people were surveilled and victimized by the state during that period.

This 300-year-old traditional villa, where the famous Albanian painter Sali Shijaku works and lives, is an invaluable art gallery for the capital.

Situated along Vildan Luarasi road, off of Siri Kodra Street, we enter the quarters of one of the most well-preserved “treasures” of Tirana and the residence of perhaps the greatest Albanian painter of the 20th century. Immediately, we run into a striking tableau depicting two roosters confronting one another in an allegorical painting that is full of life and vibrant colors.

One of the oldest and most historical residential neighbourhood in the city of Tirana, has undergone renovation and re-invigoration of late. Many of the traditional elements of the old town have been preserved whilst the square has been refreshed with an updated and more modern look. The name derives from the local farmer’s marketplace situated at the center, where more than 300 farmers of the surrounding areas come to sell their fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, and spices to name but a few. The New Bazaar farmers really know their produce. They will help you find the best items and will even take the time to proudly let you know about the history of this bustling marketplace. But don’t worry there isn’t much of a language barrier here as even those who don’t speak English will find a way to communicate with you in true marketeer style.

We begin the day with a small historic Tirana landmark to get things going. The Tanners’ Bridge is a picturesque stone bridge built in the 1700s during Ottoman rule, although its placement looks rather odd today among the modern city streets. There may not be much to see here really, but it gives another hint at what Tirana would have once been like.

The Great Mosque of Tirana or Namazgah Mosque is a mosque which is currently being built in Tirana, Albania. When completed, it will be the largest mosque in the Balkans.

St. Paul’s Cathedral has quickly become a reference point for the entire Catholic population of the capital, and even beyond. Although the structure it relatively new, it is immediately recognisable by its unique architectural style, making it a memorable religious icon in the city. The striking structure attracts both local believers and visitors alike, in celebrating their faith.

Follow the riverfront, and you’ll soon arrive at one of Tirana’s many communist-era relics, the iconic Pyramid of Tirana. This curious-looking structure was built to be a museum dedicated to dictator Enver Hoxha just before the fall of communism and has served various roles over the years, including a time as a NATO base during the Kosovo War. Work is now being done on the building to convert it into a youth cultural center, so it may look very different in the near future.

The Postbllok Memorial includes three pieces. One is a set of concrete girders taken from Spaç Prison, where Lubonja was imprisoned for a time. The girders are lined up in a row as they would have been in the halls of the Prison.

The FAB Gallery, is part of the University of Arts in Tirana situated at Mother Teresa Square. It mostly exhibits and promotes students of Arts Academy and young artists, whose work needs the most support. Almost every week there is a different event there, mostly painting or photo exhibitions but there are times when they play short movies too. The gallery is open for everyone and most of the time the entry is free. The walls are filled with colorful abstract graffiti.