Look to your right at the massive rectangular building defined by a long colonnade of pale stone pillars and the word OPERA mounted above the entrance. This Palace of Culture, completed in 1963, stands as a heavy monument to the aggressive Soviet-backed construction that deliberately wiped out the past. In 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev laid the first stone. To build this ideological fortress, the state annihilated the vibrant Old Bazaar that once thrived exactly where you are standing. Ruthlessly demolished alongside the lively merchant stalls was the nineteenth century Mahmud Muhsin Bey Stërmasi mosque. You can visualize this erased area on your screen. That mosque had a delicate tiled roof and a striking minaret with a sherefe, the traditional balcony from which the call to prayer was sung. Under the strict anti-religious regime, Tirana's historic heart was literally paved over. Check the before and after picture on your app to see how the busy roadway in front of the palace recently transformed into a pedestrian plaza. Though closed on Sundays, the venues inside remain open until eleven PM otherwise. Now, let us step out fully into Skanderbeg Square.
.jpg){kind=link}