Monument of the 100th anniversary of Independence of Albania in Tirana

Rinia Park (literally "Youth Park", sq, Parku Rinia) is the central public park of

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 ...

. Built in 1950 during the communist era, it covers an area of .

Geography

The park, from the central square, is bordered by

Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard The Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard ( en, Boulevard of the Martyrs of the Nation) is a major thoroughfare in Tirana, Albania. It was initially designed by Armando Brasini in 1925. Brasini's master plan was later amended by Florestano di Fausto, ...

to the east, Bulevardi Gjergi Fishta and Bajram Curri Boulevard to the south, Rruga Ibrahim Rugova (former "Deshmoret e 4 Shkurtit") to the west and Rruga Myslym Shyri to the north. Immediately to the north is the Teatri i Kukullave and the Orthodox Cathedral. The Taivani Center and water fountain are located on the western perimeter of the park.

History

Rinia Park was built in 1950 as part of a major urban development program which developed after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was initially a pleasant family park where inhabitants of Tirana could take their children. It was a relatively free space for youth of Tirana, while standing right in front of the communist "

Block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

" across the Lana River, thus it started to be called ironically "

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

". Later a complex of cafés and restaurants was erected. In 1991, after the end of communism,

illegal building Illegal construction (also known as illegal building or illegal housing) is construction work (or the result of such) without a valid construction permit. Besides the potential technical hazards on uncontrolled construction sites and in finishe ...

s sprang up all around the park; most of these buildings were kiosks, bars and restaurants, and the park became notorious as a hang-out for the kingpins of Tirana's underworld. During the city's cleanup in 2000, these buildings were razed and the park was replanted. All in all, some 130 buildings were demolished and over of waste removed.

Taivani

Rinia Park's main landmark is a white, terraced building on its western edge, which houses cafés, restaurants, the Regency Casino (one of only a few legally operating in Tirana), fountains, and a bowling lane in the basement, and which, because of its peculiar architecture, has been likened to a typical James Bond film villain’s den or described as spider-shaped. After an old nickname for the park, one of the restaurants (Taivani Bar & Grill) as well as the entire center (Taivani Center) is known as the Taivani.

Summer Festival

Every year on March 14, the people of Tirana and Albania have the Summer Festival, their largest pagan festival which is intended to celebrate the end of winter, the rebirth of nature and a rejuvenation of spirit amongst the Albanians. Although the epicentre of this festival is in Shkumbin (

Elbasan Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central ...

), the festival is widely celebrated in Tirana and as far afield as the Arbëresh colonies in Italy. In Tirana many festivities are organized including a city marathon and are generally performed between 9 am and 9 pm. In Rinia Park, a circus show is put on the evenings and is packed with circus performers, acrobats, magicians, and people celebrating the festival.

References

{{coord, 41, 19, 29, N, 19, 49, 5, E, type:landmark, display=title Parks in Albania Parks in Tirana Infrastructure completed in 1950 1950 establishments in Albania