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Gjirokastër, Albania

Maciej Mońka

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Gjirokastër (Albanian: Gjirokastër or Gjirokastra) is a city in southern Albania at 40.08°N, 20.15°E with a population of around 30,000 (including some Greek minorities). It is an ancient city with old settlement traces dating back to the 1st century BC. Gjirokastër is located on the hills of the Wide Mountain (Mali i Gjerë). At one point the city was a castle (Castle of Gjirokastër) and then it began to grow with buildings springing up on the hills around the castle walls. During the 13th century it was also knows as Argyropoline, Argyrokastron or the City of Argyro. In the 14th century it was part of the Despotate of Epirus and in 1417 it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The houses in Gjirokastër have a distinguished Albanian style. Gjirokastër also features an old bazaar which was originally built in the 17th century, but that had to be rebuilt in the 19th after it was set on fire. During the 19th century, Gjirokastër was central to the Albanian liberation movement as it hosted the Assembly of Gjirokastër in 1880. The city was developed after World War II and it is today an economic, educational and cultural center of southern Albania. There are over 20 museums in Gjirokastër today and it is also the city of the National Folk Festival. Gjirokaster is the birth place of Çerçiz Topulli, Ismail Kadare, Eqerem Cabej, Musine Kokalari. Gjirokastër is also the birth place of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha.