Palace of Culture of Tirana

Palace of Culture, Opera House in Tirana, Albania

Palace of Culture of Tirana
Pallati i Kulturës


General information
Type	Palace of Culture, Opera House
Architectural style	Stalinist architecture
Location	Tirana, Albania
Address	Skanderbeg Square
Construction started	1959
Completed	1963
Height	50 meters

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.^[1]

Notes and references

^ "Carthalia - Tirana: Pallati i Kulturës".

Tirana

Geography

Urban	Tirana 1 Tirana 2 Tirana 3 Tirana 4 Tirana 5 Tirana 6 Tirana 7 Tirana 8 Tirana 9 Tirana 10 Tirana 11
Rural	Baldushk Bërzhitë Dajt Farkë Kashar Krrabë Ndroq Petrelë Pezë Shëngjergj Vaqarr Zall-Bastar Zall-Herr
Landmarks	Botanical Gardens Dajti Dajti National Park Grand Park Farka Lake Rinia Park Zoo

Economy

Politics

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Transport	A3 Bus lines Ecovolis International Airport SH 1 SH 2 Railway station Tirana–Elbasan Highway
Squares	Ali Demi Street Bajram Curri Boulevard Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard Dibër Street Durrës Street Elbasan Street Kavajë Street Mother Teresa Square Mustafa Lleshi Street Pjetër Budi Street Skanderbeg Square Zhan D'Ark Boulevard Zogu I Boulevard

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Culture

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Museums	Archaeological Museum History Museum National Archives National Museum of Fine Arts National Library National Martyrs Cemetery National Theatre National Theatre of Opera and Ballet Pyramid Sciences Museum
Monuments	Bride's Tomb Clock Tower Dorëzi Fortress Justinian Castle Kapllan Pasha Tomb Mother Albania New Bazaar Persqopi Castle Petrelë Castle Skanderbeg Monument Sulejman Pasha Tomb Summer Theatre Tanners' Bridge Tirana Mosaic Unknown Soldier
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