The square is really nothing spectacular. The huge empty area with a statue surrounded by simple blocks of buildings. The only eye-catching ‘thing’ is the heavy traffic with its crazy rules, or rather no rules, that I was trying to resolve sitting in the café in front of the Opera house.
I recommend stopping in the Skanderbeg Square, which is next to the Clock Tower and National History Museum. The Square is quite large and well-maintained. It is safe for tourists during the day or night.
Nice big square in the middle of the town - here you can see the tower of the mosque, the National musuem's mosaique and newbulit super modern skyscraper!
The square is part of an Italian world of boulevards with typical fascist monumental buildings. The area around is worth a stroll.
Skanderbeg Square is an icon which reminds everyone this is Tirana, the capital. Each corner has an icon of the past. The National History Museum, Hotel Tirana International, The Opera House, Et'hem Bey Mosque, the Clock Tower, Municipality building and on the far west corner the Bank of Albania recently remodeled building. At the center of all is the great Skanderbeg Monument overlooking Tirana, the icon above all icons.There is not much to see in any of them, especially The Opera House which is indeed a great shame, but I'm sure most tourists will find something that tickles their fancy.One thing though that strikes me every time is the unbelievable traffic chaos that surrounds this square. In order to move from one corner to the other and thus from one attraction to the next, one must really know how to cross from one sidewalk to the next without getting hit by cars and buses.Whoever decided on the final draft on how this square should look like, surely didn't know much about urban architecture, especially for a place as important as the main square of a capital. There are no traffic lights at all, and just like all roads lead to Rome, so all roads lead to Skanderbeg Square then it is up to the individual to decide if s/he wants to yield or ram through (both drivers and pedestrians alike). Sidewalks which were rebuild just a few years back have already started to cave in most spots around the square, a gloom reminder of the unfinished tunnels underneath filled in with gravel. To top it all off there’s the noise which is unbearable. Honking like a mad person, seems to be a way of life not to mention people speaking out loud in order to hear each other due to traffic. Last but not least, the air pollution in. If you’re into cheap diesel fumes and dust, please be my guest and walk around for a while than blow your nose, you’ll see what I’m talking about. I would definitely recommend it for the next Final Destination movie.
No matter where you turn in the square you see Tirana: museums, opera house, clock tower, mosque, university, government buildings and of course the country's hero, Skanderbeg. This is a must see for your first encounter of this remarkable city and country.
第一次去的时候一下飞机就觉得很失望,飞机场实在是太破了,因为我是先到土耳其玩的,后来顺便去了阿尔巴尼亚,听说东西很便宜,没想到真的很便宜,这个广场说实在没有什么,不过石雕下面那片草地很不错,这个国家的硬件设施看起来很差,但是环境真的很好,空气特好,天特蓝!
You could probably start your Tirana expedition by coming to the Skanderbeg square and starting with the statue of Skanderbeg that stands right in the center. Skanderbeg is a national hero and the Albanian history is colored with his heroic life. After this you could visit all other places from the ethem bay mosque to clock tower to the museum which are all at walking distance from the statue and inside this square. The only problem is the erratic traffic and you need to keep your eyes open while crossing the streets.
Dominating the heart of Tirana is the imposing equestrian statue of George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, Albania’s national hero and protector of Christianity against the Ottoman Empire. Surrounding the square are the national museum and mosque. Be forewarned: there are no traffic lanes or rules in this area. Traffic is a free-for-all and you best cross the street very carefully. Among other points of interest around the square are the beautiful Et’Hem Bey mosque and the national museum. You wonder what Skanderbeg is thinking as he gazes on the perpetual traffic jam around the square built in his honor.