Gjirokastër

Also known as Gjirokaster

Gjirokastër (, ) is a city in southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea level. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is overlooked by Gjirokastër Fortress, where the Gjirokastër National Folk Festival is held every five years. It is the birthplace of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha, and author Ismail Kadare.

AI overview

Gjirokastër is a historic city in southern Albania known for its well-preserved old town, which is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for hosting the Gjirokastër National Folk Festival every five years at its overlooking fortress. The city is notable as the birthplace of prominent figures including former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha and acclaimed author Ismail Kadare.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

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Place details

Locality: Gjirokastër
Region: Shqipëria Jugore
Country: Shqipëria
Population: 23,437
Timezone: Europe/Tirane

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

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Key facts

Albanian settlement.name: Gjirokastër
Albanian settlement.nickname: City of Stone
Albanian settlement.type: m
Albanian settlement.emblem: Stema e Bashkisë Gjirokastër.svg
Albanian settlement.county: Gjirokastër
Albanian settlement.party: PS
Albanian settlement.mayor: Flamur Golëmi
Albanian settlement.area munic: 473.8
Albanian settlement.population as of: 2023
Albanian settlement.area_unit: 36.35
Albanian settlement.population munic: 23270
Albanian settlement.population unit: 16569
Albanian settlement.postal code: 6001–6003
Albanian settlement.area code: 084

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: city
Official name: Gjirokastër
Country: Albania
Located in: Gjirokastër County
Population: 20630
Area: 59
Elevation: 190
Time zone: UTC+02:00
Capital of: Gjirokastër County
Official website: bashkiagjirokaster.gov.al
Image: Gjirokastёr - roofs.JPG
Dialing code: 084

Show 10 more facts

Commons category: Gjirokastër
topic's main category: Category:Gjirokastër
twinned administrative body: Patras
category for people born here: Q8050650
category of associated people: Category:People from Gjirokastër
Commons gallery: Gjirokastër
postal code: 6001–6003
P8168: Uzaksa
native label: Gjirokastra
P12749: Fredericton

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Get around

Gjirokastër can be divided into roughly two halves, the old town up on the hill, and the new town in the valley below. You can walk just about anywhere if you're able to handle the steep cobbled streets. Taxis are cheap and there is a public bus circuit that connects the old town and the new town for about 30 leke. From the roundabout at the center of town to the bus station on the National Road is a fairly flat, easy, 10-minute walk along the main boulevard. Taxis will make this trip for around 200 leke.

See

thumb|Inside the Ethnographic Museum of Gjirokaster thumb|250px|right|An example of some of the old Ottoman houses in Gjirokastër

Buy

Known for handcrafted copper/metal souvenirs and traditional Albanian food products. Take a look at the Artisans' Center near the Information Center featuring many souvenirs and traditional crafts.

Eat

Gjirokastër is known for its Qifqi (baked dish made of rice, egg, and seasonings). The city is also well known for its dairy products, especially its white cheese.

There are also well established restaurants in Gjirokastër catering to travellers and the local crowd.

Old town Fantazia – specializes in pizza and salad, but offers traditional Albanian fare, good views of the city. Kujtim's – serves a wide variety of Gjirokastrian specialties. The newly renovated Çajupi Hotel's Terrace Restaurant, The Byrek Shop Muço's Suflaç & Restaurant – Good omelets in the morning Hajri's Coffee Bar Sopoti Cafe Restaurant Tradicional Odaja - traditional Albanian food, definitely recommend the baked cheese with honey and sesame.

New town Kufoi's, Pizza Erai Antigone Fast Food Suflgreat place off the beaten tourist trackaç, Suflaç at the Hotel One Restaurant Modus Cafe – for coffee

Drink

Raki Mani (aka Mulberry Raki) is supposed to be a local speciality, but it is hard to find. You will have the best chances in June or July.

Sleep

price is 1200 lek per person. If you ask for wifi internet (which doesn't seem to happen very often) you will be given the password for a nearby cafe, but it is too far away so it can only work between 03:00 and 06:00 when nobody else uses it. still a good choice for a single traveller as it is cheaper than a dorm bed in one of the towns hostels

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~31 min read

Encyclopedic overview

23 sections

Contents

{{anchor|Names and etymology}}Names and etymology
History
Early history
Medieval period
Ottoman period (up to 1800)
Modern
Geography
Climate
Economy
Infrastructure
Education
Demography
Religion
Culture
Landmarks
Sports
International relations
Notable residents
Gallery
See also
References
Sources
External links

The city appears in the historical record dating back in 1336 by its medieval Greek name, , as part of the Byzantine Empire. It first developed in the hill where the Gjirokastër Fortress is located. In this period, Gjirokastër was contested between the Despotate of Epirus and the Albanian clan of Zenebishi under Gjon Zenebishi who made it his capital in 1417. It was taken by the Ottomans in 1418, a year after's Gjon's death and it became the seat of the Sanjak of Albania. Throughout the Ottoman era, Gjirokastër was officially known in Ottoman Turkish as Ergiri and also Ergiri Kasrı. During the Ottoman period conversions to Islam and an influx of Muslim converts from the surrounding countryside made Gjirokastër go from being an overwhelmingly Christian city in the 16th century into one with a large Muslim population by the early 19th century. Gjirokastër also became a major religious centre for Bektashi Sufism.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Gjirokastër” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.