Skanderbeg Square

Central Albania (Albanian: Shqipëria Qendrore) is a subdivision of Albania as defined by the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). It is one of the three classified NUTS-2 statistical regions of Albania. The region incorporates the central parts of the country including the capital Tirana, and encompasses an area of 4,967 km2 (1,918 sq mi). It incorporates the counties of Tirana, and Elbasan. With a population of nearly one million, it is the most populated of the all the regions in Albania.

Tirana ( tih-RAH-nə, Albanian pronunciation: [tiˈɾana]; Gheg Albanian: Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.Tirana was founded as a city in 1614 by the Ottoman Albanian general Sylejman Pasha Bargjini and flourished by then around the Old Mosque and the türbe. The area that today corresponds to the city's territory has been continuously inhabited since the Iron Age. It was inhabited by Illyrians, and was most likely the core of the Illyrian Kingdom of the Taulantii, which in Classical Antiquity was centred in the hinterland of Epidamnus. Following the Illyrian Wars it was annexed by Rome and became an integral part of the Roman Empire. The heritage of that period is still evident and represented by the Mosaics of Tirana. Later, in the 5th and 6th centuries, an Early Christian basilica was built around this site. 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 gamma-world-city, Tirana is the most important economic, financial, political and trade centre in Albania due to its significant location in the centre of the country and its modern air, maritime, rail and road transportation. It is the seat of power of the Government of Albania, with the official residences of the President and Prime Minister of Albania, and the Parliament of Albania. The city was announced as the European Youth Capital for 2022.

The National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania (Albanian: Teatri Kombëtar i Operas dhe Baletit - TKOB) is a theatre in Tirana, Albania. It is the largest theatre in the country and hosts music and dance performances year-round.

The Skanderbeg Monument is a monument in the Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania. It commemorates Skanderbeg (1405–1468), the national hero in Albania for resisting the Ottomans. Created by Odhise Paskali, the 11 metres (36 ft) monument was inaugurated in 1968 on the 500th anniversary of the death of Skanderbeg.

The Et'hem Bey Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Haxhi Et'hem Beut, Turkish: Hacı Edhem Bey Camii) is a mosque in Tirana, Albania. Closed under communist rule, the mosque reopened as a house of worship in 1991. Without permission from the authorities, 10,000 people attended and the police did not interfere. Frescoes outside and in the portico depict trees, waterfalls and bridges.

The Palace of Culture of Tirana (Albanian: Pallati i Kulturës) was built on the Pazari i Vjeter area of Tirana by request of Enver Hoxha. For this construction, both the old bazaar and the historic mosque of Mahmud Muhsin Bey Stërmasi were destroyed under the rulership of the Albanian Labour Party in adherence to the communist country's declaration of state atheism. The Ottoman mosque had been built from 1837 to 1840 and had a tiled roof as well as a striking minaret with a sherefe. The first stone of the new building was symbolically put by Nikita Khrushchev in 1959. The work was finished in 1963. The architecture is very similar to many communist era social buildings in Eastern Europe. There have been virtually no renovations to the building since its construction. The Palace of Culture includes the National Library of Albania and the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania.

The Clock Tower of Tirana (Albanian: Kulla e Sahatit të Tiranës), was built in 1822 in Tirana, Albania by Et'hem bey Mollaj, a Bejtexhinj poet who also finished the Et'hem Bey Mosque next to the clock tower. Watchmaster Ismail Tufina was the first to assemble the Tirana clock mechanism in 1822. It is a monument of culture of first category, approved on 24 May 1948. The stairs have 90 steps that go in a spiral fashion. It is 35 metres (115 ft) tall and was the tallest building in the city at the time. Since the restoration of 2016, 9,833 visitors were counted, who have visited the tower. The installation of the clock was done by the renowned Tufina watchmakers. The Tufina's took care of the clock from 1822 until 1973 when forcefully removed by the communist regime.

Dibër Street (Albanian: Rruga e Dibrës, formerly Rruga Bajram Curri) is a major street in Tirana, Albania. It runs northeast from the central Skanderbeg Square, just south of the Tirana International Hotel. The Mother Teresa Hospital (QSUT) is located on this street.

The Tirana InterContinental Hotel is a hotel located in Tirana, Albania on the corner between central Skanderbeg Square and Zogu I Boulevard. The tower shares the same hotelier complex with lower-rising Tirana International Hotel as an extension. Topped in 2023 and expected for opening in the first quarter of 2025, the hotel stands at 133.5 metres (438 ft) tall and is divided into 33 floors.

Tirana's Rock is a mixed-use skyscraper in Tirana, Albania. Designed by MVRDV, the tower will stand at its completion at 85 meters (297 ft) high divided into 25 floors, and will include residential, commercial, and office spaces. The construction will also be among the world's largest buildings that double as a figurative sculpture. In its case, it will represent the bust of Gjergj Kastrioti (also known as Skanderbeg), one of Albania's Middle Ages main historical figures.

The Book Building is a mixed-use skyscraper in Tirana, Albania. Designed by 51N4E and completed in 2024, the tower stands at 77 meters (253 ft) tall, being divided into 21 floors, and displays residential, commercial, and office spaces. The building will be part of the newly constructed complex of constructions circling the Skanderbeg Square alongside Tirana International Hotel, Intercontinental Hotel Tirana, Maritim Plaza Tirana, Eyes of Tirana and Skanderbeg Tower. The nickname of "Book Building" comes from its volumetry which displays vitrations similar to a thick book full of bookmarks. The tower takes part of the so-called "turbo-capitalist" modernization program of Tirana's central ward.

The Resurrection Cathedral (Katedralja Ngjallja e Krishtit) is an Albanian Orthodox church situated in the center of Tirana, Albania. It is considered among the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the Balkans.It was officially opened on June 24, 2012, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the revival of the Albanian Orthodox Church and the election of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania.