Gjidirokastra - Culture
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Gjidirokastra - Culture |
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Gjirokastra is one of the most attractive towns in Albania. Gjirokastra (known as - the town of a thousand stairs), is of particular interest for its native architecture; the area on which it is built and its form resembling an extended cyclopic hand. The characteristic houses clustered around the majestic fortress towering above them as a huge battle ship, are small fortresses in themselves. The great period of house construction extends from about 1800-1860. The Fortress, dates back to the 4th & 5th centuries. Situated on a hill, on the left bank of the Drino river, it gives the town a special beauty. The fortress is defended by 7 towers. It was reconstructed in 1811 - 1812 by Ali Pasha Tepelena. At this time an aquaduct (10 km) long, was constructed to bring in 28,000 gallons of drinking water a day from mount Sopot. It was demolished under the Zogu regime in 1932, and its stones used as building material. The fortress is in excellent condition. At the main entrance to the fortress is the national museum of arms, which tells the story of Albanian weapons through the ages. The first floor covers the period from neolithic times to independence, in 1912. The fortress has an open air theatre, where every 5 years are organized national festivals. 2,000 singers, dancers and musicians take part, one group from each of the 26 districts. Today, Gjirokastra has a leather factory and a factory for the processing and the fermentation of tobacco, as well as a for manufacturing cigarettes. The city developed after World War II, and today is an economic, cultural, and educational center of southern Albania. Its main fields of production are food, clothing, tobacco, and metals. Gjirokastra has a Cultural Center with a professional theater, gallery of arts, and 23 museums, of which the most distinguished are The National Museum of Arms and the Gjirokastra Museum of the Rilindja_ (the Albanian National Liberation Movement of the 19th century). Gjirokastra publishes several newspapers, including ones in Greek, since it is home to part of the Greek minority of Albania. Every five years since the year 1968, Gjirokastra is the site of the National Folk Festival, which brings together folk musicians and dancers from the entire country, and lately from Kosova and the Albanian populated regions of FYROM. © copyright 2000 - eurotravelling.net |
Gjirokastra has also been designated a 'Museum City' as so many of the houses retain their traditional wood- and stone-work. The narrow and winding cobbled streets ensure the virtual exclusion of motor traffic. The town is dominated by the 13th-century Fortress which was extended by Ali Pasha in 1811. The view is not to be missed. The surrounding area is renowned for its many mineral springs.