Tirana

Tirana Tirona
Capital city and municipality
Clockwise from top: The Grand Mosque, Clock Tower, Grand Park, Petrelë Castle, Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral and Toptani Center.
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code(s)	1000-1054
Area code(s)	+355 (0) 4
Airport	Tirana International Airport
Motorways
Highways
Vehicle registration	TR
Website	tirana.al

Tirana

After the Roman Empire split into East and West in the 4th century, its successor the Byzantine Empire took control over most of Albania, and built the Petrelë Castle in the reign of Justinian I. The city was fairly unimportant until the 20th century, when the Congress of Lushnjë proclaimed it as Albania's capital, after the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912.

Classified as a

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (July 2020)

Early development

The area of Tirana has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times with the earliest recognised reference found at the

Tirana is mentioned in Venetian documents in 1418, one year after the Ottoman conquest of the area: "...the resident Pjeter, son of late Domenik from the village of Tirana...".^[17] Records of the first land registrations under the Ottomans in 1431–32 show that Tirana consisted of 60 inhabited areas, with nearly 2,028 houses and 7,300 inhabitants.^{[citation needed]} In 1510, Marin Barleti, an Albanian Catholic priest and scholar, in the biography of the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg, Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis (The story of life and deeds of Skanderbeg, the prince of Epirotes), referred to this area as a small village, distinguishing between "Little Tirana" and "Great Tirana".^[17] It is later mentioned in 1572 as Borgo di Tirana.^[18]

According to

In 1800, the first newcomers arrived in the

Modern development

On 28 November 1912, the national flag was raised in Vlorë by President Ismail Qemali, marking the symbolic birth of Albania as a sovereign country. The next years, however, were marked by turmoil. During the Balkan Wars, Tirana was temporarily occupied by the Serbian army and it took part in uprising of the villages led by Haxhi Qamili. In August 1916, the first city map was compiled by the specialists of the Austro-Hungarian army.^[22] Following the capture of the town of Debar by Serbia, many of its Albanian inhabitants fled to Turkey, the rest went to Tirana.^[23] Of those that ended up in Istanbul, some of their number migrated to Albania, mainly to Tirana where the Dibran community formed an important segment of the city's population from 1920 onward and for some years thereafter.^[23] On 8 February 1920, the Congress of Lushnjë proclaimed Tirana as the temporary capital of Albania, which had gained independence in 1912.^[24] The city acquired that status permanently on 31 December 1925. In 1923, the first regulatory city plan was compiled by Austrian architects.^[25] The centre of Tirana was the project of Florestano Di Fausto and Armando Brasini, well-known architects of the Mussolini period in Italy. Brasini laid the basis for the modern-day arrangement of the ministerial buildings in the city centre. The plan underwent revisions by Albanian architect Eshref Frashëri, Italian architect Castellani and Austrian architects Weiss and Kohler.^{[citation needed]} The modern Albanian parliament building served as an officers' club. It was there that, in September 1928,

Tirana was the venue for the signing of the Pact of Tirana between Fascist Italy and Albania. During the rule of King Zog, many

From 1944 to 1991, massive socialist-style apartment complexes and factories were built, while Skanderbeg Square was redesigned, with a number of buildings demolished. For instance, Tirana's former Old Bazaar and the Orthodox Cathedral were razed to the ground in order to build the Soviet-styled Palace of Culture. The northern portion of the main boulevard was renamed Stalin Boulevard and his statue was erected in the city square. Because private car ownership was banned, mass transportation consisted mainly of bicycles, trucks and buses. After Hoxha's death, a pyramidal museum was constructed in his memory by the government.^{[citation needed]}

Before and after the proclamation of Albania's policy of self-imposed

Starting at the campus and ending at Skanderbeg Square with the toppling of Enver Hoxha's statue, the city saw significant demonstrations by University of Tirana students demanding political freedoms in the early 1990s. On the political aspect, the city witnessed a number of events. Personalities visited the capital, such as former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and Pope John Paul II. The former visit came amidst the historical setting after the fall of communism, as hundreds of thousands were chanting in Skanderbeg Square Baker's famous saying of "Freedom works!".^[31] Pope John Paul II became the first major religious leader to visit Tirana, though Mother Teresa had visited few years prior.

During the Balkans turmoil in the mid-1990s, the city experienced dramatic events such as the unfolding of the

In 1999, following the Kosovo War, Tirana Airport became a NATO airbase, serving its mission in the former Yugoslavia.

Contemporary

During his term from 2000 to 2011, the former mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama, undertook a campaign to demolish illegal constructed buildings across Tirana as well as along the river banks of Lanë to bring the area to its pre-1990 state. In an attempt to widen roads, Rama authorized the bulldozing of private properties so that they could be paved over, thus widening streets. Most main roads underwent reconstruction, including the Unaza, Rruga e Kavajës and the main boulevard. Rama also led the initiative to paint the façades of Tirana's buildings in bright colours, although much of their interiors continued to degrade. Rama's critics claimed that he focused too much attention on cosmetic changes without fixing any of the major problems such as shortages of drinking water and electricity.^[32][33]

In June 2007,

Following the municipal elections of 2015, power was transferred from the Democratic Party representative Lulzim Basha to the Socialist Party candidate Erion Veliaj.^[39] Albania then underwent a territorial reform, in which defunct communes were merged with municipalities.^[40] Thirteen of Tirana's former communes were integrated as administrative units joining the existing eleven.^[41] Since then, Tirana is undergoing significant changes in infrastructure, law enforcement and new projects, as well as continuing the ones started by Veliaj's predecessor. In their first few council meetings, 242 social houses got allocated to families in need.^[42] Construction permits were suspended until the capital's development plan is revised and synthesized.^[41]

Between December 2018 and February 2019, a series of demonstrations erupted in the central areas of Tirana and other cities of the country in response to a controversial law on higher education, poor quality of teaching, high tuition rates and corruption.^[43][44][45] In September 2019, Tirana was ravaged by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter located near Durrës.^[46][47][48] Two months after, in November 2019, another strong earthquake with the magnitude of 6.4 hit the region again resulting comparatively few damages in Tirana.^[49] The same month, Tirana was announced as the European Youth Capital for 2022 with a planned program including events of cultural and social importance.^[50]

Geography

Tirana extends at the

Tirana has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification and receives enough precipitation during summer to avoid the Mediterranean climate (Csa) classification.

The average precipitation in Tirana is about 1,266 millimetres (49.8 inches) per year. The city receives the majority of precipitation in winter months, which occurs from November to March, and less in summer months, from June to September. In terms of precipitation, both rain and snow, the city is ranked among the wettest cities in Europe.^[13]

Temperatures vary throughout the year from an average of 6.7 °C (44.1 °F) in January to 24 °C (75 °F) in July.

In September 2015, Tirana organized its first vehicle-free day, joining forces with numerous cities across the globe to fight against the existing problem of urban air pollution. This initiative resulted in a considerable drop in both air and noise pollution, encouraging the Municipality to organise a vehicle-free day every month.^[60][61]

The city suffers from problems related to overpopulation,^[62] such as waste management, high levels of air pollution and significant noise pollution. Over the last decades, air pollution has become a pressing concern as the number of cars has increased. These are mostly 1990s and early 2000s

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The

The Mayor of Tirana along with the Cabinet of Tirana exercises executive power. The Assembly of Tirana functions as the city parliament and consists of 55 members, serving four-year terms. It primarily deals with budget, global orientations and relations between the city and the

In 2000, the centre of Tirana from the central campus of University of Tirana in the Mother Teresa Square up to the Skanderbeg Square, was declared the place of Cultural Assembly, and given state protection. The historical core of the capital lies around pedestrian only Murat Toptani Street, while the most prominent city district is

Tirana is the

The President and

The

Tirana is a founding member of the Union of Albanian Municipalities in the Region.

Tirana is the heart of the

The city began to develop at the beginning of the 16th century as it was part of the Ottoman Empire, when a bazaar was established, and its craftsmen manufactured silk and cotton fabrics, leather, ceramics and iron, silver and gold artefacts.[90] In the 20th century, the city and its surrounding areas expanded rapidly and became the most heavily industrialised region of the country.

The most significant contribution is made by the tertiary sector which has developed considerably since the fall of communism in Albania. Forming the financial centre of the country, the

Air

Tirana is served by Nënë Tereza International Airport, which is simultaneously the premier air gateway to the country. The airport was officially named in honour of the Albanian Roman Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa. It connects Tirana with many destinations in different countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia. The airport carried more than 3.3 million passengers in 2019 and is also the principal hub for the country's flag carrier, Air Albania.^[99]

Road

The city's geographical location in the centre of Albania has long established the city as an integral terminus for the

In 2012, the Tirana municipality published a report according to which a project on the construction of two tram lines was under evaluation. The tram lines would have a total length of 16.7 kilometres (10.4 miles). The plan was never implemented. Under the plan, the two tram lines would have intersected in Skanderbeg Square. The public transport in Tirana is, for now, focused only in the city centre, so that the people living in the suburbs have fewer or no public transport connections.^{[citation needed]}

Bus

Tirana's bus network is its primary and only system of public transport. The system has 16 lines serving the urban core, with another 14 suburban lines serving its outer regions. The urban network is made up of 8 radial lines, 5 diagonal lines, and 3 circular or semi-circular lines.^[107]

Busses often get stuck in traffic. There were only 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) of dedicated bus lines in 2020.^[107]

There were 451 bus stops on the entire urban network in 2020, extending to over 170 kilometres (110 miles). Services operate every day, regardless of holidays and weekends, from 06:00 to 24:00. The entire network had an average headway of 9 minutes on a daily basis in 2018 and in the first half of 2019.^[107]

Nearly 257,000 residents lived within a 150 m (490 ft) walking area from a bus stop when surveyed in Tirana’s strategic transport study in 2019. That was approximately 35% of the population living inside the Municipal unit of Tirana.^[107]

A single-ride ticket costs 40 Lek, and no hourly or daily options are available. Disabled people and veterans may ride for free. An electronic ticketing system is under implementation.^[107]

Cycling

During the administration of mayor Erion Veliaj, the government of Tirana has significantly increased the creation and expansion of a

Safe cycling paths are still relatively rare, despite improvements in recent years. Paths are often blocked by parked cars or construction. Other obstructions which decrease ride quality, such as drain holes, are also prevalent. There were only around 30 kilometres (19 miles) of cycling routes in 2020.[107]

Education

The Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) estimated the population of the municipality of Tirana at 418,495 in 2011.^[7] With a population density of 502 people per square kilometre, Tirana is the most densely populated municipality in the country.^[3] The encompassing metropolitan area, consisting of the regions of Durrës and Tirana, has a combined population of approximately 1 million amounting to nearly one third of the country's total population.^[124]

Historically, Tirana has experienced a steady population increase in the past years, especially after the fall of communism in the late twentieth century as well as the beginning of the twenty-first century. The remarkable growth was, and still is, largely fueled by migrants from all over the country often in search of employment and improved living conditions. Between 1820 and 1955, the population of Tirana tenfolded while during the period from 1989 to 2011, the city's population grew annually by approximately 2.7%. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city had a rate of growth less than 1% annually until the 1970s, then down to less than 8% per year until the middle 20th century figures.^[125]

Tirana's population is composed by a mixture of different cultural and ethnic groups from Southern Europe. The most represented ethnicities are Albanians (84.10%), Greeks (0.35%), Aromanians (0.11%), Macedonians (0.07%) and Italians (0.03%).^[127]

In Albania, a

• Religious buildings in Tirana
• 
  Et'hem Bey Mosque
• 
  Sacred Heart Church
• 
  St. Paul's Cathedral
• 
  Resurrection Cathedral
• 
  Bektashi World Center
• 
  Namazgah Mosque

Culture