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| Gjirokastra | ||
| Qark | Gjirokastër Qark | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 25.301 (2011), 23.437 (2012) | |
| height | 193 m, 286 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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background
Gjirokastra is a small town with just under 20,000 inhabitants in southern Albania. Gjirokastra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005.
getting there
By plane
Tirana Airport (Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza, TIA) is located 222 km north of Gjirokastra. Alternatively, you can also fly to Corfu / Greece (Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport, CFU), from there take the ferry to the sea port of Saranda and cover the remaining 56 km by bus or taxi to Gjirokastra.
By train
Gjirokastra has no connection to the (hardly existing) route network of the Albanian railway (Hekurudha Shqiptare, HSH).
By bus
In the street
Gjirokastra lies on Albania's most important north-south connection, the 
SH4 (
), the Tirana with Greece (Kakavia border crossing) connects. The road is very well developed by Albanian standards.
mobility
Map of Gjirokastra
Tourist Attractions
View over the bazaar area of Gjirokastra
The city of 1000 stairs has hundreds of Ottoman style houses with various stone roofs.
- Bazaar district: Until the middle of the 20th century, Gjirokastra was an important market for agricultural products from the region as well as leather and wood goods. Today the bazaar district is the center of the tourist infrastructure with many bars, cafes, restaurants, souvenir and handicraft shops.
- 1 Bazaar Mosque (Memi Bey Mosque).
During the communist period, the mosque was used as a training center for a circus. The building is now used as a mosque again. - 2 Castle.(Opening times: April - September 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., October - March 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., admission price: 200 lek). The castle grounds were the origin of Gjirokastra. Most of the residents lived here until the bazaar district developed in the 15th century. The first fortifications date from the 5th century BC, the majority of today's fortress dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. At the beginning of the 19th century, with the construction of the clock tower, it reached its present-day shape, making it the second largest fortification of the Balkans.
- Gun gallery (inside the castle): long gallery with artillery pieces and a small Italian tank.
- National Armaments Museum (inside the castle, admission: 200 lek). The National Arms Museum was opened in the former prison in 1971. It shows Albanian weapons from the time of independence in 1912 until the end of World War II. Most of the exhibition is devoted to the partisan struggle from 1939 to 1944 against the Italian and German occupations.
- American plane: A US military training aircraft had to land near Tirana in 1957 with technical problems. The pilot was brought back to the US a short time later, but the plane that the Communists maintained as a spy plane was brought to the castle as a Cold War trophy.
- Festival stage: The stage was built in the 1980s and has been home to the Albanian National Folk Festival for several years, which takes place every four to five years (most recently in 2015). During the year, the stage is used by the community on public holidays to present music and dance events.
- clock tower (on the castle grounds): The clock was set up in the 19th century by Ali Pasha von Tepelena. It is a feature of the cities at this time and determines the time of five daily prayers. The tower was restored in the 1980s and the current clock was installed in the 1990s. However, the clock is currently not working.
Museums:
Clock tower and festival stage on the castle grounds
- 3 Ethnographic Museum.(Opening times: April - September 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. - 7 p.m., October - March 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., entrance fee: 200 Lek): The Ethnographic Museum is located in the Palorto district, the best preserved district in the old town of Gjirokastra. It is located in the birth house of the Albanian dictator from 1944-1985, Enver Hoxha. The museum building was reconstructed in 1966 after the original building fell victim to a fire. From 1966 to 1991 the building housed the anti-fascist museum. The entire four-storey building is open to visitors and displays many objects of daily life (household items, costumes and typical art objects) of a wealthy family from Gjirokastra from the 19th century.
- 4 Ismail Kadare House.(Opening times: April - October 9am - 7pm, admission: 200 Lek): The Ismail Kadare House is the youngest attraction in the historic old town of Gjirokastra. It belongs to the family of Ismail Kadare, the most famous writer in Albania, who was born here in 1912. After the house was completely destroyed in a fire in 1999, it has now been completely reconstructed and has shown several exhibitions related to the writer since 2017.
Zekate House, Gjirokastra
- 5 Zekate house.(privately owned, no fixed opening times, admission: 200 Lek): The house is an example of a typical fortified tower house from Gjirokastra that belonged to wealthy people such as merchants or administrators. They all follow a floor plan: a fortified stone basement, crowned by a wooden gallery that houses the main rooms for an extended family. Loopholes are set in the walls to defend against attacking enemies. The Zekate house was built in 1811-12 and is a great example of a tower house from that period. It has two towers and a double arch facade. There are three floors to visit: On the ground floor there are storage rooms and the cistern. A central staircase leads to the first floor, where there is a small reception room, additional storage rooms and the kitchen. The family's living quarters are on the second floor. On the third floor there is a large reception room with typical frescoed walls, a carved ceiling and an ornate fireplace. In the middle of the upper floor there is a wooden balcony with a great view over the entire city.
- 6 Skënduli house.(Open to visitors, admission: 200 lek): Skender Skënduli, another wealthy landowner, built the Skënduli house in 1823 during the greatest period of Gjirokastra. The house had two courtyards and is unique in that it has both internal and external stairs. There used to be 46 chimneys, which indicates the wealth of the Skënduli family. The main room, in particular, is distinguished by its decorated ceiling and wooden poles, just like the many other wooden decorations in this house give it an unrepeatable value. The large number of loopholes and the nifty locks on the main doors testify to its defensive function.
- Gjirokastra Museum: The Gjirokastra Museum opened in 2012 and is located in one of the most beautiful galleries in the castle. It tells the history and cultural traditions of the city and its surroundings from prehistory to the present day through archaeological and historical objects, archive materials and oral traditions. It is considered to be one of the most modern museums in the country with a special design and a combination of stories and pictures.
- 7 Cold War Museum (Cold War Tunnel). An underground bunker that served as an emergency shelter in the last phase of the communist era of Albania (1944-1990). This bunker and the countless small bunkers prove that the communist dictator of Albania, Enver Hoxha, feared a foreign invasion. The bunker, built secretly in the early 1970s, is 800 m long and has 59 rooms. The Cold War Tunnel was designed to serve many different functions in the event of a nuclear attack. There are rooms for ministries, local governments, interrogators, party elites, sleeping places, power generation and water storage.
activities
shop
kitchen
nightlife
accommodation
Hotels in the old town:
- Hotel Argjiro****, Rruga Gjin Zenebisi / Sheshi Çerçiz Topulli, www.hotelargjiro.al, historic building from 1855, reopened in 2016 after extensive restoration, right on the edge of the old town, 49 comfortable to luxurious rooms, bar, restaurant, roof garden
- Hotel Çajupi****, Sheshi Çerçiz Topulli, www.cajupi.com: directly on the bazaar district, built in 1964, renovated in 2019, often used by tour groups, with a restaurant and bar
- Hotel Fantasy****, Rruga e Zejtarve, a little below the bazaar area
- Old Bazaar 1790, Rruga Astrit Karagjozi, www.oldbazaar.al: historic fortified tower house from 1790 between the bazaar and Palorto district, 11 rooms
- Hotel Kalemi***, Rruga Bashkim Kokona, www.kalemihotels.com, historical house with 11 rooms, close to the Zekate house
- Hotel Kalemi 2***, Rruga Alqi Kondi, www.kalemihotels.com, historic house in Ottoman style, modernized, a little below the bazaar area
- Hotel Kodra***, Rruga E Zejtareve, www.hotelkodra.com, boutique hotel from 2013 in Ottoman style with 13 rooms and 2 restaurants, directly below the bazaar area
- Hotel Lani***, Rruga Jaçe Braja, www.hotel-lani.gjirokaster.hotels-al.com, located high above the castle, also offers three-bed rooms
- Palorto Hotel***, Rruga Ismail Kadare, www.palorto-hotel. gjirokaster.hotels-al.com, inn with 6 rooms, garden and terrace, communal kitchen, near the Ethnographic Museum and Skënduli House
- 4rooms hotel***, Rruga Zejtareve Pazari, Bed & Breakfast with 4 rooms, near the bazaar mosque and the bazaar area
- Castle Hotel***, Rruga Astrit Karagjozi, www.castle-hotel. gjirokaster.hotels-al.com, historic house near the castle
- 1 Hotel Gjirokastra, Rruga Shezai Çomo. , below the castle, guesthouse with 8 small rooms, quiet location, small garden.
health
Practical advice
trips
literature
Web links
- http://www.gjirokastra.org - Official website of Gjirokastra
- Tourist information
