Gjirokastra Area

The old town of Gjirokastra is famous for being a well-preserved city of authentic architecture and its fortress overlooking the entire city, the old houses lean against the slopes of the hills with their beautiful old wooden facades. It is located in southern Albania in a valley between the Gjere mountains and the Drino at 300 metres above sea level. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and very intriguing and controversial as it preserves well all phases of history as well as being the birthplace of the Nobel-laurate writer Ismail Kadare and also of the notorious communist leader Enver Hoxha. Gjirokastra is often known as “the City of Stone” and the main characteristic of it is the intensive use of stone in building the houses, which look like small fortresses. Many houses in Gjirokaster have a distinctive local style that has earned the city the nickname "City of Stone", because most of the old houses have roofs covered with flat dressed stones. Gjirokastra was built by major landowners. Around the ancient 13th century citadel, the town has houses with turrets (the Turkish kule) which are characteristic of the Balkans region. The city was named Argyrokastro, in 1336. In 1417, it was conquered by the Ottoman army. The city reached its peak over 1800-1830, when monumental assembly houses were built. The first neighborhoods are those of Bazaar and Hazmurate. Gjirokastra is principally a commercial center with some industries, notably the production of foodstuffs, leather, and textiles.