The Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard ( en, Boulevard of the Martyrs of the Nation) is a major thoroughfare in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. It was initially designed by

Armando Brasini Armando Brasini (Rome, 21 September 1879 - Rome, 18 February 1965) was a prominent Italian architect and urban designer of the early twentieth century and exemplar of Fascist architecture. His work is notable for its eclectic and visionary style i ...

in 1925. Brasini's master plan was later amended by

Florestano di Fausto Florestano Di Fausto (16 July 1890 – 11 January 1965) was an Italian architect, engineer and politician who is best known for his building designs in the Italian overseas territories around the Mediterranean. He is considered the most important ...

, and in 1939 by

Gherardo Bosio Gherardo Bosio (19 March 1903 – 16 April 1941) was an Italian architect, engineer and urbanist, famed for his work in planning the centre of Tirana, the capital of Albania.http://www.shqiptariiitalise.com/shqiperi-itali/shqiperi-itali/shqiperi ...

following the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

. The wide thoroughfare was initially named after

King Zog King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...

, and after the 1939 invasion was renamed ("Avenue of the

talian Talian may refer to: *Talian dialect, a dialect spoken in Brazil *Talian, Iran Talian ( fa, طاليان, also Romanized as Tālīān and Ţālīān) is a village in Baraghan Rural District, Chendar District, Savojbolagh County, Alborz Province, ...

Empire"). In 1934 to 1935, a bridge was built over the boulevard by Gjovalin Gjadri. During the

communist era A Communist Era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of Communist rule. Current communist states China The Chinese Communist P ...

, major parades regularly took place including on

Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day. Liberation marks the date of either a revolution, as in Cuba, the fall of a dictatorship, as in Portugal, or the end of an oc ...

and

International Workers Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

. Many buildings are located along this boulevard, including the Presidential Palace, the Prime Minister's Office, the Palace of Congress, the Rogner Hotel and the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the ''State University of Tirana'' in 1957 through merging of f ...

. The boulevard enters the city centre from the south and intersects with

Bajram Curri Boulevard Bajram Curri Boulevard is a major boulevard of Tirana, Albania. It runs in a west–east direction and crosses the city centre south of the central Skanderbeg Square. At Rinia Park it intersects with Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard just south of ...

near the

Rinia Park Rinia Park (literally "Youth Park", sq, Parku Rinia) is the central public park of Tirana, Albania. Built in 1950 during the communist era, it covers an area of . Geography The park, from the central square, is bordered by Dëshmorët e Kombi ...

. It then becomes part of

Skanderbeg Square The Skanderbeg Square () is the main plaza in the centre of Tirana, Albania. The square is named after the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. The total area is about 40,000 square metres. The Skanderbeg Monument dominates the ...

and continues north of the centre to Zogu I Boulevard. The boulevard was immortalised by Edi Hila in a series of paintings titled ''Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard''.

Gallery

File:Twin_Towers_Tirana,_Albania_2017.jpg, The view from the Pyramide File:Albanien (05).jpg, Old picture of Tirana's car-free main boulevard File:Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit - panoramio.jpg, View from the south end of Mother Teresa Square File:Tirana,_consiglio_dei_ministri,_03.JPG, The Prime Minister's Office building

References

Streets in Tirana Buildings and structures in Tirana Squares in Albania {{Europe-road-stub

Gallery

See also

References