Roots Albania in Tirana: audio stories about 39 places
Roots Albania has audio stories about 39 places in Tirana (spelled Tirana in Albanian too), the capital of Albania, in central Albania. The app covers 211 places in ten Albanian cities, in 28 languages, and needs no account: open Tirana, pick a place and play its story.
In the order the app shows them, with the Albanian name after the English one.
Skanderbeg Square (Sheshi Skënderbej)
National Museum Mosaic (Mozaiku i Muzeut Kombëtar)
Hotel Tirana Internacional; Albanian: 15-Katëshi (Hotel Tirana Internacional)
Palace of Culture (Pallati i Kulturës)
Et'hem Bey Mosque (Xhamia e Et'hem Beut)
Clock Tower (Kulla e Sahatit)
Halveti Tekke (Teqja e Halvetive)
The Nine-Story Buildings (9-Katëshet)
New Bazaar (Pazari i Ri)
Institute of Former Political Persecutees (Instituti i Ish-të Dënuarve Politikë)
Tanners' Bridge (Ura e Tabakëve)
Namazgah Mosque (Xhamia e Namazgjasë)
Academy of Sciences (Akademia e Shkencave)
Tirana Castle (Kalaja e Tiranës)
Saint Paul's Cathedral (Katedralja e Shën Palit)
Bunk'Art 2
National Theatre (Teatri Kombëtar)
Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard (Bulevardi "Dëshmorët e Kombit")
Hotel Dajti
Pyramid of Tirana (Piramida e Tiranës)
Prime Minister's Office (Kryeministria)
Parliament of Albania (Kuvendi i Shqipërisë)
Palace of Congresses (Pallati i Kongreseve)
Polytechnic University of Tirana (Universiteti Politeknik i Tiranës)
Air Albania Stadium (Stadiumi Air Albania)
Postblock (Postblloku)
The Block (Blloku)
The Shallvaret Quarter (Shallvaret)
Youth Park (Parku i Rinisë)
Resurrection of Christ Cathedral (Katedralja e Ngjalljës së Krishtit)
House of Leaves (Shtëpia me Gjethe)
Bank of Albania (Banka e Shqipërisë)
Mosaic of 21 December Street (Mozaiku i 21 Dhjetorit)
Textile Factory Complex (Kombinati i Tekstileve)
Artificial Lake (Liqeni Artificial)
Petrela Castle (Kalaja e Petrelës)
New Albania Film Studio (Kinostudio "Shqipëria e Re")
BunkArt 1
Dajti Cable Car (Teleferiku i Dajtit)
Is there an audio guide for Skanderbeg Square?
Yes, as audio stories. Skanderbeg Square (Sheshi Skënderbej) is place 1 of the 39 Tirana places in Roots Albania: it has a short introduction and a story of about six minutes, in 28 languages, with a male and a female voice.
In one line: The heart of Tirana, the redesigned central square that brings together the Ottoman, communist and modern layers of the capital's history.
The Pyramid of Tirana, the Et'hem Bey Mosque, the Clock Tower and the Palace of Culture, all in the list above, have their own stories too.
Roots Albania is not a guided tour: you choose the place on the city's map of places and play its story yourself.
How to use Roots Albania in Tirana
Open Roots Albania and choose Tirana. The city has its own map of places with all 39 places on it; tap a place to play its short introduction or its story of about six minutes. You can listen in 28 languages, in a male or a female voice, and there is no account.
Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection. The stories are written by local people.
Every place below has a short introduction and a story of about six minutes in the Roots Albania app. The names, the coordinates (latitude, longitude), the type, the period and the one line descriptions are taken from the app's catalogue on 15 September 2026; a place without a one line description here has none short enough to print.
1. Skanderbeg Square
Albanian name
Sheshi Skënderbej
Coordinates
41.3285484, 19.8176642
Type of place
historical
Period
modern
In one line
The heart of Tirana, the redesigned central square that brings together the Ottoman, communist and modern layers of the capital's history.
2. National Museum Mosaic
Albanian name
Mozaiku i Muzeut Kombëtar
Coordinates
41.3294212, 19.816709
Type of place
cultural
Period
communist
In one line
Above the entrance of the National Historical Museum gleams the monumental mosaic "The Albanians", 565 square metres with tesserae from Murano, created in 1981 by five Albanian artists.
3. Hotel Tirana Internacional
Albanian name
15-Katëshi (Hotel Tirana Internacional)
Coordinates
41.3298448, 19.8186389
Type of place
architectural
Period
communist
In one line
Built between 1969 and 1979, the Fifteen-Storey Building was the tallest in Albania for more than four decades.
4. Palace of Culture
Albanian name
Pallati i Kulturës
Coordinates
41.328813, 19.8192604
Type of place
architectural
Period
communist
In one line
The foundation stone was laid by Khrushchev in 1959 as "a gift from the Soviet people".
5. Et'hem Bey Mosque
Albanian name
Xhamia e Et'hem Beut
Coordinates
41.3277959, 19.8193253
Type of place
religious
Period
Ottoman
In one line
Built between 1794 and 1821, the Et'hem Bey Mosque stands out for its frescoes of landscapes and gardens, a rarity in Islamic architecture.
6. Clock Tower
Albanian name
Kulla e Sahatit
Coordinates
41.3277033, 19.8196826
Type of place
architectural
Period
Ottoman
In one line
Raised next to the mosque by Haxhi Et'hem Bey in 1822, the 35-metre-high tower has marked the rhythm of the city for more than two centuries.
7. Halveti Tekke
Albanian name
Teqja e Halvetive
Coordinates
41.329417, 19.8210352
Type of place
religious
Period
Ottoman
In one line
A Halveti tekke in the heart of Tirana, closed during communism and rebuilt stone by stone by Sheikh Muamer Pazari, where the faithful still gather every week for the dhikr ritual.
8. The Nine-Story Buildings
Albanian name
9-Katëshet
Coordinates
41.3294265, 19.8215096
Type of place
architectural
Period
communist
9. New Bazaar
Albanian name
Pazari i Ri
Coordinates
41.3302464, 19.8243503
Type of place
cultural
Period
contemporary
10. Institute of Former Political Persecutees
Albanian name
Instituti i Ish-të Dënuarve Politikë
Coordinates
41.3261811, 19.8251171
Type of place
historical
Period
communist
11. Tanners' Bridge
Albanian name
Ura e Tabakëve
Coordinates
41.3264243, 19.8260496
Type of place
architectural
Period
Ottoman
12. Namazgah Mosque
Albanian name
Xhamia e Namazgjasë
Coordinates
41.3257216, 19.8242425
Type of place
religious
Period
contemporary
In one line
The largest mosque in the Balkans, opened in 2024 near the parliament and financed mainly by the Turkish Diyanet, closing a fifty-seven-year void left by the state atheism of the communist regime.
13. Academy of Sciences
Albanian name
Akademia e Shkencave
Coordinates
41.3262922, 19.8229763
Type of place
architectural
Period
modern
In one line
Three institutions in a single body of stone: the legislative organs of the new state, the proclamation of Ahmet Zogu as King of the Albanians in 1928, and today the Academy of Sciences.
14. Tirana Castle
Albanian name
Kalaja e Tiranës
Coordinates
41.3259121, 19.8225525
Type of place
archaeological
Period
Ottoman
In one line
The remains of a medieval fortification, today rebuilt as a public space with shops, restaurants and galleries.
15. Saint Paul's Cathedral
Albanian name
Katedralja e Shën Palit
Coordinates
41.3247984, 19.8218272
Type of place
religious
Period
contemporary
In one line
The main Catholic cathedral of Tirana, raised after the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1993 and consecrated in 2002.
16. Bunk'Art 2
Albanian name
Bunk'Art 2
Coordinates
41.3270225, 19.8195506
Type of place
museum
Period
communist
In one line
This underground bunker in the centre of Tirana has been turned into a museum that documents political persecution and the mechanisms of control during the communist regime.
17. National Theatre
Albanian name
Teatri Kombëtar
Coordinates
41.3265173, 19.8204815
Type of place
cultural
Period
modern
In one line
The National Theatre, built in 1939 by the Italian architect Giulio Bertè, was demolished on the morning of 17 May 2020 by special forces, after two years of civic resistance in its defence.
18. Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard
Albanian name
Bulevardi "Dëshmorët e Kombit"
Coordinates
41.3232035, 19.8198782
Type of place
architectural
Period
modern
19. Hotel Dajti
Albanian name
Hotel Dajti
Coordinates
41.3246158, 19.8201346
Type of place
architectural
Period
modern
20. Pyramid of Tirana
Albanian name
Piramida e Tiranës
Coordinates
41.323019, 19.8215893
Type of place
architectural
Period
communist
In one line
Originally built as a museum for Enver Hoxha, the Pyramid has gone through several major transformations and remains one of Tirana's most debated symbols.
21. Prime Minister's Office
Albanian name
Kryeministria
Coordinates
41.3217546, 19.8213434
Type of place
architectural
Period
modern
22. Parliament of Albania
Albanian name
Kuvendi i Shqipërisë
Coordinates
41.3259852, 19.823048
Type of place
architectural
Period
modern
23. Palace of Congresses
Albanian name
Pallati i Kongreseve
Coordinates
41.3192651, 19.8220888
Type of place
architectural
Period
communist
24. Polytechnic University of Tirana
Albanian name
Universiteti Politeknik i Tiranës
Coordinates
41.3166196, 19.8217354
Type of place
architectural
Period
modern
25. Air Albania Stadium
Albanian name
Stadiumi Air Albania
Coordinates
41.3183889, 19.8245757
Type of place
architectural
Period
contemporary
26. Postblock
Albanian name
Postblloku
Coordinates
41.3209619, 19.8201492
Type of place
historical
Period
contemporary
In one line
A small memorial near the Blloku, with iron bars from the Spaç mine, a bunker and a piece of the Berlin Wall.
27. The Block
Albanian name
Blloku
Coordinates
41.3213333, 19.8160663
Type of place
historical
Period
communist
In one line
Once a closed zone for the communist elite, the Blloku is today Tirana's liveliest neighbourhood, with cafés, bars, restaurants and nightlife.
28. The Shallvaret Quarter
Albanian name
Shallvaret
Coordinates
41.3239744, 19.8172935
Type of place
architectural
Period
communist
29. Youth Park
Albanian name
Parku i Rinisë
Coordinates
41.3247789, 19.818223
Type of place
natural
Period
communist
30. Resurrection of Christ Cathedral
Albanian name
Katedralja e Ngjalljës së Krishtit
Coordinates
41.3265001, 19.8173682
Type of place
religious
Period
contemporary
In one line
The old Orthodox cathedral was torn down in 1967, when Albania was proclaimed the world's first atheist state.
31. House of Leaves
Albanian name
Shtëpia me Gjethe
Coordinates
41.3264667, 19.8163272
Type of place
museum
Period
communist
In one line
The former eavesdropping centre of the State Security is today a museum that documents the surveillance, the control and the fear of the dictatorship.
32. Bank of Albania
Albanian name
Banka e Shqipërisë
Coordinates
41.3277328, 19.8168119
Type of place
architectural
Period
modern
33. Mosaic of 21 December Street
Albanian name
Mozaiku i 21 Dhjetorit
Coordinates
41.3300636, 19.8042492
Type of place
archaeological
Period
Roman
In one line
The Mosaic of Tirana is the floor of a Roman villa from the 1st century CE, discovered by chance in 1972 under the foundations of the "Partizani" block.
34. Textile Factory Complex
Albanian name
Kombinati i Tekstileve
Coordinates
41.3147222, 19.765
Type of place
historical
Period
communist
In one line
The former "Stalin" Textile Combine, a Soviet gift opened in 1951 across 22 hectares, today an urban neighbourhood that still keeps the traces of the communist factory-city.
35. Artificial Lake
Albanian name
Liqeni Artificial
Coordinates
41.311489, 19.8294547
Type of place
natural
Period
modern
In one line
A 60-hectare artificial lake inside Tirana's Grand Park, built in the 1950s with the work of "volunteers" and today the green lung of the capital.
36. Petrela Castle
Albanian name
Kalaja e Petrelës
Coordinates
41.2548491, 19.8545813
Type of place
archaeological
Period
medieval
In one line
This medieval castle on the hill of Petrela, about 17 kilometres from Tirana, is closely linked to the time of Skanderbeg.
37. New Albania Film Studio
Albanian name
Kinostudio "Shqipëria e Re"
Coordinates
41.3457339, 19.8487303
Type of place
cultural
Period
communist
In one line
The only film studio of communist Albania, built in 1952 with Soviet help, where between 1952 and 1991 232 feature films, 700 documentaries and 150 animated films were produced.
38. BunkArt 1
Albanian name
BunkArt 1
Coordinates
41.3531404, 19.8612073
Type of place
museum
Period
communist
In one line
Enver Hoxha's secret bunker on Mount Dajti, with 106 rooms and around 3,000 square metres of concrete, was built as a shelter for the leadership in case of nuclear war.
