Balkan Experience - Greece & Albania - In Tirana - 3 Sep 2026

As compared to the previous day, the walking plan for the day was a bit more. The roads were crowded with cars, it being a working day. The first historical marker for the day was the Tanners Bridge; a historic stone footbridge built in the 18th century during the Ottoman period. It had been part of the road which connected Tirana with the eastern highlands. Farmers' caravans used it to bring livestock and produce into the city's markets.

The name of the bridge came from the leather tanners and butchers who operated their workshops along the riverbanks nearby. In times past, Lana River passed beneath the bridge. However, beneath the bridge now is a patch of grass, because the river was diverted away in the 1930s. Today, after restoration, it serves as a pedestrian-only monument.

In the heart of the city is located the Pyramid of Tirana, originally designed to be a museum dedicated to the legacy of the communist dictator, Enver Hoxha. It was designed in part by his daughter and son-in-law. With the downfall of communism in 1991, the building was used for many roles such as a conference centre, radio station, nightclub and as a NATO base during the Kosovo war in 1999. However, after many decades of decay, the building was completely transformed into a vibrant cultural and technological hub.

A TUMO centre within the building hosts free creative technology classes such as robotics, coding, and animation for the youth. I remembered seeing their active work in Armenia. The sloping concrete exterior walls have been transformed into safe, walkable staircases. Visitors and locals can climb all the way to the top for panoramic views of the city. The open atrium is filled with scattered, multi-coloured modular boxes that house local cafes, startups, workshops, and studios.

Close to the Pyramid of Tirana is the Peace Bell. The bell is a powerful symbol because it was cast from over 20,000 spent bullet casings. These casings had been collected by children in the northern city of Shkodra following the civil unrest of 1997, which occurred after the collapse of several massive Ponzi pyramid schemes.

At the Lana River bridge near the Pyramid of Tirana is a colourful outdoor public art installation of pixelated geometric human sculptures. These humanlike, 3D block figures are crafted in various stylized poses, leaning, standing, or sitting along the pedestrian pathways and bridge ledges. They combine digital "glitch" aesthetics with physical public spaces, representing modern urban creativity.

On the way to the Mother Teresa square, on the Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard, I came across the busts of the Frasheri brothers, who were prominent members of the Albanian National Awakening movement. Along the iconic boulevard is also the Prime Minister's office that was constructed during the Italian occupation between 1939 and 1943. During the communist regime, the building served as the Communist Party HQ.

The Postbllok Memorial, (also known as the Memorial to Communist Isolation), is located in a city park near the PM's office. A graffitied concrete slab, a segment of the Berlin Wall, gifted to Albania by the city of Berlin, stands as a universal symbol for the collapse of communism and the triumph of freedom.

The second structure of the memorial is the Military Pillbox Bunker. It is a dome-shaped concrete structure representing the extreme isolationism and paranoia of the Enver Hoxha regime, which constructed hundreds of thousands of these bunkers across Albania. In the background of these two are the concrete pillars taken from the notorious Spac political prison camp, which completes the memorial site.

In the city park is also the statue of Ismail Qemali, a prominent diplomat, politician, and the founding father of modern Albania. He led the Albanian national movement and famously declared Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire on November 28, 1912. He served as the country's first Prime Minister.

It was indeed amusing to find in the park lawns origami-style characters from Albanian children's literature in the park. The characters are Bubi Kacurrel, the dog and Cufoja, the pig.

The Mother Teresa Square is the second largest square in Tirana. It was named after the Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun, missionary and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mother Teresa, after the fall of the communist regime. A fountain and the statue of Mother Teresa were removed from the site following major restoration works in 2014. Today, it is a pedestrian zone, mostly used for different activities and concerts by the Municipality of Tirana.

The National Archaeological Museum is located in Mother Teresa Square. It was the first museum to open in Albania after WWII. It is responsible for the many archaeological digs and research conducted in the country and is the parent institution of several other museums.

Behind the Museum sits the imposing Arena Kombetare, known as the Air Albania Stadium. It is an all-seater, multi-purpose football stadium built on the ground of the former Qemal Stafa Stadium. The stadium has a seating capacity of 22,500 making it the largest stadium in Albania. In May 2022, the stadium hosted the first ever Europa Conference League final. At one end of the complex is the luxury five-star hotel, Marriot, occupying 24 floors.

On the return walk to the accommodation, I came across the Palace of Congresses on the Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard. It is a large venue for major cultural events, concerts, and political conferences, that was opened in 1986.

Not too far from my apartment is the Taiwan pool, a prominent recreational spot and water feature located inside Rinia Park. The pool area sits amidst the park's open spaces, close to central boulevards and modern landmarks like Alban Tower. The "Taiwan" complex is a well-known multi-functional recreation and restaurant centre named historically during a shift in Albanian diplomatic relations.

The Rinia Park is one of the most popular and frequented spaces in the heart of Tirana, located near Skanderbeg Square. It offers a green and open environment, ideal for walking, relaxation and recreational activities for families and visitors of all ages.

On the way back to the apartment, I bought a portion of dopio pite from a fast-food joint. Dopio pite translates directly to "double pita" in Albanian. It is an extra-large serving of sufllaqe. That would do well for dinner with a can of the popular Albanian beer, Elbar.