# Roots Albania in Tirana: audio stories about 39 places

Canonical: https://rootsalbania.com/cities/tirana
Published: 15 September 2026

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.

## The 39 places in Tirana with audio stories

In the order the app shows them, with the Albanian name after the English one.

1. Skanderbeg Square (Sheshi Skënderbej)
2. National Museum Mosaic (Mozaiku i Muzeut Kombëtar)
3. Hotel Tirana Internacional; Albanian: 15-Katëshi (Hotel Tirana Internacional)
4. Palace of Culture (Pallati i Kulturës)
5. Et'hem Bey Mosque (Xhamia e Et'hem Beut)
6. Clock Tower (Kulla e Sahatit)
7. Halveti Tekke (Teqja e Halvetive)
8. The Nine-Story Buildings (9-Katëshet)
9. New Bazaar (Pazari i Ri)
10. Institute of Former Political Persecutees (Instituti i Ish-të Dënuarve Politikë)
11. Tanners' Bridge (Ura e Tabakëve)
12. Namazgah Mosque (Xhamia e Namazgjasë)
13. Academy of Sciences (Akademia e Shkencave)
14. Tirana Castle (Kalaja e Tiranës)
15. Saint Paul's Cathedral (Katedralja e Shën Palit)
16. Bunk'Art 2
17. National Theatre (Teatri Kombëtar)
18. Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard (Bulevardi "Dëshmorët e Kombit")
19. Hotel Dajti
20. Pyramid of Tirana (Piramida e Tiranës)
21. Prime Minister's Office (Kryeministria)
22. Parliament of Albania (Kuvendi i Shqipërisë)
23. Palace of Congresses (Pallati i Kongreseve)
24. Polytechnic University of Tirana (Universiteti Politeknik i Tiranës)
25. Air Albania Stadium (Stadiumi Air Albania)
26. Postblock (Postblloku)
27. The Block (Blloku)
28. The Shallvaret Quarter (Shallvaret)
29. Youth Park (Parku i Rinisë)
30. Resurrection of Christ Cathedral (Katedralja e Ngjalljës së Krishtit)
31. House of Leaves (Shtëpia me Gjethe)
32. Bank of Albania (Banka e Shqipërisë)
33. Mosaic of 21 December Street (Mozaiku i 21 Dhjetorit)
34. Textile Factory Complex (Kombinati i Tekstileve)
35. Artificial Lake (Liqeni Artificial)
36. Petrela Castle (Kalaja e Petrelës)
37. New Albania Film Studio (Kinostudio "Shqipëria e Re")
38. BunkArt 1
39. 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.

## The other nine cities

- [Vlora (Vlorë)](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/vlora), 34 places
- [Saranda (Sarandë)](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/saranda), 33 places
- [Durrës](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/durres), 23 places
- [Berat](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/berat), 15 places
- [Korça (Korçë)](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/korca), 15 places
- [Pogradec](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/pogradec), 15 places
- [Gjirokastra (Gjirokastër)](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/gjirokastra), 15 places
- [Shkodra (Shkodër)](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/shkodra), 12 places
- [Kruja (Krujë)](https://rootsalbania.com/cities/kruja), 10 places

## All 39 places in Tirana, with coordinates

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.

### 39. Dajti Cable Car

- Albanian name: Teleferiku i Dajtit
- Coordinates: 41.3507757, 19.8610574
- Type of place: natural
- Period: contemporary

## Roots Albania in short

- 211 places across 10 Albanian cities
- 10 cities, each with its own map of places
- 28 languages
- 2 stories for every place: a short introduction and a story of about six minutes
- No account
- Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection
- The stories are written by local people

Get the app on the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6761542889) for iPhone and on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootsalbania.app) for Android.

Roots Albania for iOS and Android is made by ROOTS SHPK, Rruga Zef Jubani, Nd. 4, H. 1, Ap. 3, Njësia Administrative Nr. 5, 1000 Tiranë, Albania, NUIS M61803028A, D-U-N-S 631176123, +355 69 443 8348, hello@rootsalbania.com, [roots-shpk.com](https://roots-shpk.com) and [rootsearth.com](https://rootsearth.com).

## More from Roots Albania

- [All ten cities](https://rootsalbania.com/cities): the ten cities with their number of places.
- [What Roots Albania is](https://rootsalbania.com/app): the app in one page: 211 places, ten cities, 28 languages, how it works.
- [Questions travellers ask](https://rootsalbania.com/faq): the cities, the languages, the account, listening without a connection.
- [The 28 languages](https://rootsalbania.com/languages): every language with its code, and a male and a female voice in each.
- [Events and activities](https://rootsalbania.com/events-and-activities): what is on in the city, and things to do you arrange with the provider.
- [About Roots Albania](https://rootsalbania.com/about): ROOTS SHPK in Tirana, and the company details.
- [Press and facts](https://rootsalbania.com/press): the fact sheet, the logo files, the store links and the contact address.
- [Comparisons](https://rootsalbania.com/compare): Roots Albania and eight other apps, the facts of each side by side.