Gjirokastra

Overview

Gjirokaster is also known as the City of Stairs. The city is built on a stretch of very mountainous terrain and and stairs are used in many of the small streets that wind their way up the hills in the direction of the citadel.You can see the panoramic view of this city from the bar/restaurant, Kerculla and you can rest at  Hotel Kalemi  (Kalemi Hotel). From this hotel you can see the old and new part of the city.

The setting of the city is great with snowcapped mountains all around it. Be sure to visit the 11th-century citadel, which has a stunning view of the countryside, as well as the interesting Ethnographic Museum in the home that was the birthplace of Enver Hoxha.

History

 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, Agyrokastron or the City of Argyro. In the 14th century  it was part of the Despotate of Epirus  The houses in Gjirokastër have a distinguished Albanian style. Gjirokastër also features an old bazaar A bazaar is a market, often covered, typically found in areas of Muslim culture, which was originally built in the 17th century. 

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 a commercial center in South Albania, it produces foodstuffs, leather, and textiles. There are several 18th-century mosques and churches and an old citadel (rebuilt in the 19th cent.) in the town. Dating probably from the 4th cent., Gjirokastër passed to the Turks in the 15th cent. It was captured (1811) by Ali Pasha and was the center (late 1800s) of anti-Turkish resistance. In World War II it was occupied by Italy, Greece, and Germany in succession. Enver Hoxha, the Albanian Communist party leader, was born thereGjirokastra is museum city with charasterist houses made from stone.

http://www.shqiperia.com/foto/galeria/gjirokastra , http://gjirokastra0.tripod.com/   http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Gjirokast%EBr