School:’’Lasgush Poradeci’’

Topic:Tirana in my eyes

Project

Subject:EnglishClass:6A

Worked:Angela Dosi Juljana GurraKimberli Troci

Tirana in my eyesTirana is a great city. Being the capital of Albania most people live. People are influenced positively and negatively on the environment. In Tirana there is a great culture. There are many monuments and castles. Tirana is a very developed city. There airport, schools, museums, theaters etc. In the city center is a large square. The city has an artificial lake and a river that runs through the city. Numerous population and palaces Tirana is polluted and this is very dangerous for humans. But it also has special attractions.

Skanderbeg Square

At the time of the Albanian monarchy, the square was composed of a number of buildings that would eventually be detonated during the communist period. The square was composed of a roundabout with a fountain in the middle. Tirana's Old Bazaar used to be established on the grounds of modern-day Palace of Culture, the Orthodox Cathedral at present-day Tirana International Hotel, while the former Municipal building on the grounds of where the National History Museum is located nowadays. A statue of Joseph Stalin was erected where today Skanderbeg's statue is located. Besides the construction of the above new elements during communism, the statue of Albania's leader Enver Hoxha was erected at the space between the National History Museum and the Bank of Albania. Following the fall of communism in 1991, the statue would be removed amid student led demonstrations.

National Historical MuseumThe Pavilion of Antiquity is the most important and one of the richest with objects in the National Historical Museum, with 585 objects. The displayed objects start with the Late Paleolithic, where prehistoric culture is proved lively and powerful in our lands, and ends with objects belonging to the Early Middle Ages (4th to 8th centuries). The objects of the prehistoric settlement of Maliq represent the Neolithic flourishing since the middle of the fourth millennium until about 2600 BC. The exhibited objects and the coins of silver and bronze embossed on behalf of the Illyrian kings of the centers of Durrës, Apollonia, Shkodra, Byllis and Amantia, discovered in the provinces of South Illyria of the 4th to 3rd centuries BC, indicate a strong economy and urban Illyrian culture in general. Impressive are sculptures of the Apolloniates school or God Apollo, one of the most beautiful sculptures of the time (6th century BC). Quite interesting are: the mosaic of the "Beauty of Durres" (4th century BC), the head of Artemis (3rd century BC), the anthropomorphic appearance of river Vjosa (3rd or 2nd century BC), the head of a man of limestone (5th century AD), vases decorated with red figures, and others. The findings of Monumental Tomb of Lower Selca, Pogradec (3rd century AD) occupy an important place.

TaivaniTaivani or the Taiwan Center, is a restaurant complex, as well as a poly-functional recreation center located in Rinia Park, just south of Skanderbeg Square in downtown Tirana, Albania. Taivani is one of Tirana's most modern and frequented restaurants and spare time facilities. It also includes a well-equipped bowling center. It is known as Taivani or "Taiwan" as it is said to resemble the island of Taiwan.

Tirana castleFortress of Justinian or simply known as Tirana Castle is a castle in Tirana, Albania. Its history dates back before 1300 and is a remnant from the Byzantine-era. The fortress is the place where the main east-west and north-south roads crossed, and formed the heart of Tirana. About all that's left of the fortress above ground is a 6m-high Ottoman-era wall, covered in vines. The recently uncovered wall foundations were incorporated into the pedestrianised Murat Toptani Street, while a mosaic commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Albania's Independence was unveiled near the Albanian Parliament.

Clock Tower of TiranaThe clock tower originally had a bell from Venice that marked the time every hour. In 1928 the Municipality of Tirana purchased a new clock in Germany to replace the existing one.The clock was destroyed by bombardments during World War II and was replaced in 1946 with a Roman numeral clock from a church in Shkoder, Albania.In 1970 the Roman numeral clock was replaced by a Chinese clock. The tower underwent renovation in 1981 and also in 1999. Access to the top of the tower has been available free of charge since 1996.A new restoration is ongoing by The Municipality of Tirana in 2010 for tourists.

Et’hem Bey MosqueConstruction was started in 1789 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1823 by his son Haxhi Ethem Bey, great-grandson of Sulejman Pasha.Closed under communist rule, the mosque reopened as a house of worship in 1991, without permission from the authorities. 10,000 courageous people dared to attend and remarkably the police did not interfere. The event was a milestone in the rebirth of religious freedom in Albania. Take a look at the frescoes outside and in the portico which depict trees, waterfalls and bridges - motifs rarely seen in Islamic art. Take your shoes off before entering the inner room.During the totalitarianism of the Socialist People's Republic of Albania, the mosque was closed. On January 18, 1991, despite opposition from communist authorities, 10,000 people entered carrying flags. This was at the onset of the fall of communism in Albania.The frescoes of the mosque depict trees, waterfalls and bridges; still life paintings are a rarity in Islamic art. Tours of the mosque are given daily, though not during prayer service.

Tanners’ BridgeThe Tanners’ Bridge is an 18th-century Ottoman period stone footbridge located in Tirana, Albania. The bridge, built near the Tanners' Mosque, was once part of the Saint George Road that linked Tirana with the eastern highlands. The road was the rout by which livestock and produce entered the city. The bridge crossed the Lanë stream near the area where butcher shops and leather workers were located. The bridge fell into disrepair when the Lanë was diverted in the 1930s. In the 1990s the bridge was restored for use by pedestrians.

Tirana Park on the Artificial Lake

The park was built between 1955 and 1956 based on a Bulgarian plan and used to be called the Gogo stable, in a green area. The park starts at the southern end of the Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, after the University of Tirana main building, south of the main Skanderbeg Square centre.The park was formerly called Park of Saint Procopius , from the Saint Procopius Church of Tirana, that is located there. In the internal parts of the park can be found the memorials of 45 British soldiers fallen during World War II.

The park includes the Presidential Palace of Tirana, which stays on the side and close to the Elbasan Street. The palace, whose building was started by Zog of Albania, is now a government residence, and has served as a Royal Palace only once, for the Italian King Victor Emmanuel IIIduring his only visit to Albania in May 1941 as King of Albania. The palace had also served vicegerent Francesco Jacomoni and later the Fascist general Alberto Pariani.

The park was home of the Memorial to the mother of King Zog of Albania, Sadijé Toptani. The monument was destroyed by the Communist Regime in the 1950s and can now be enjoyed only in pictures.A wall has been built demarcating the park's boundary.

Lana riverThe Lanë is the main stream that crosses through Tirana, the capital of Albania. Its source is in the mountains east of Tirana. Although once clean, it now carries sewage. Before there were many buildings around and on the banks of the river, but they were torn down and removed in a campaign by Tirana's then mayor Edi Rama. Now most of its banks have been planted with different kinds of trees and grass. No fish live there now due to the high pollution of its waters. The Lanë flows into the Tiranë Rivernear Bërxullë.

Tirana MosaicThe Tirana Mosaic is a famous Albanian landmark that is thought to have been part of a Roman house built in the third century. Later in the fifth and sixth centuries, a church was built at this site. The ruins of this Paleo-Christian Basilica were discovered in 1972. Today, theByzantine church displays some of the ancient mosaics discovered at the site that feature diverse geometrical patterns and depict poultry and fish.It has been re-opened for public on 23 January 2010.

Mount DajtMount Dajt is a mountain in central Albania, to the east of Tirana. Its highest peak is at 1,613 m (5,292 ft). In winter, the mountain is often covered with snow, and it is a popular retreat to the local population of Tirana that rarely sees snow falls. Its slopes have forests of pines, oak and beech.Dajti Mountain was declared a National Park n 1966, and has since 2006 an expanded area of about 29,384 ha.It is under the jurisdiction and administration of Tirana Forest Service Department.

Martyrs of the Nation BoulevardMartyrs of the Nation Boulevard is a major boulevard of Tirana,Albania, built by Italian architects. Formerly, it was called Bulevardi Mussolini. In 1934-35, a bridge was built over the boulevard by Gjovalin Gjadri.Many important buildings are located along this boulevard, including several universities and administrative buildings and banks (such as Alpha Credit Bank). The Rogner Hotel is also located on the boulevard. The boulevard enters the city centre from the south and intersects with Bajram Curri Boulevard near Rinia Park. It then becomes part of Skanderbeg Square and then continues north of the centre as Zogu I Boulevard.

BllokuIsh-Blloku or commonly known as Blloku (literally the Block) is an upmarket area in Tirana, Albania widely known as an entertainment and shopping destination with its many boutiques, shops, restaurants, trendy bars, pubs, and cafes. The area is part of the neighbourhood of Tirana e Re in southwestern Tirana. During the peak summer months, its trendy bars transfer along the Albanian Riviera.Before the 1950s, a number of factories operated in the area. During the Communist period it became a secluded residential area for the members of the Albanian politburo. Among the surviving villas, the area houses the former residence of Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha.Since the fall of communism in Albania, a dramatic growth of new developments has taken place, with many new exclusive flats and apartments. Ish-Blloku has been called the "playground of the young Albanian elite".

Preze castlePrezë Castle is a castle in Prezë, western Albania.Preza Castle overlooks the village with the same name and is located on a hilltop. It is a small castle the construction of which started in the 14th century and was completed in the early 15th century and belonged to the Topias, a local feudal family. The castle has been declared a 'monument of culture'. It has four towers, one in each corner. The clock tower was erected around 1800-1850. It is known for its beautiful location, overlooking the Tirana plain. The castle is quite close to the Mother Theresa International Airport. A restaurant and other service facilities are found inside the castle.

Academy of Arts in Tirana

Founded in 1966 as the High Institute of Arts, it merged three artistic institutions: the Tirana State Conservatory, the Higher School of Fine Arts, and the High School for Actors “Aleksander Moisiu”. The Academy of Arts was able to take advantage of the Russian tradition in classical music and ballet due to the fact that Albania and Russia had close relationships during communism. The school still maintains ties with theRussian School of Ballet and Classical Music. In 1991, the High Institute of Arts was promoted to university level and renamed Academy of Arts. On October 12, 2009, the President of the Republic of Albania, Bamir Topi awarded the Academy of Arts the "Grand Master Order".

Tirana International AirportTirana International Airport Nënë Tereza was constructed in a period of two years, from 1955 to 1957. However, Tirana had commercial airline services before. As early as 1938, Yugoslav carrier Aeroput introduced regular commercial flghts linking Tirana with Belgrade with a landing inDubrovnik.[3] With the fall of communism in Albania in 1991, and subsequent liberalization of travel restrictions abroad for Albanians, the number of airlines operating at the airport increased.Its reconstruction, started in 2005 and terminated in 2008, increased the processing capacity of the airport considerably, resulting in its number of passengers per year doubling from 2005 to 2010, when it reached 1.5M. The airport currently has the capacity to process 1.8M passengers per year. It is thought that such capacity will suffice to handle the expected increase given the visa liberalization for the citizens of Albania travelling to the Schengen Area, which started at the end of 2010.[4]

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