The Tanners' Bridge ( sq, Ura e Tabakëve) is an 18th-century Ottoman period stone

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

located 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 ...

. The bridge, built near the Tanners' Mosque, was once part of the ''Saint George Road'' that linked Tirana with the eastern highlands. The road was the rout by which livestock and produce entered the city. The bridge crossed the

Lanë The Lanë ( sq-definite, Lana) is the main stream that crosses through Tirana, the capital of Albania. Its source is in the mountains east of Tirana. Although once clean, it now carries sewage. During the 1990s, many illegal kiosks and buildings ...

stream near the area where butcher shops and leather workers were located. The bridge fell into disrepair when the Lanë was diverted in the 1930s. In the 1990s the bridge was restored for use by pedestrians.

History

The Tanners' Bridge was part of the road that connected Tirana with

Debar Debar ( mk, Дебaр ; Albanian: ''Dibër''/''Dibra'' or ''Dibra e Madhe;'' ) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has ...

through

Shëngjergj Shëngjergj (Albanian for Saint George) is a village and a former municipality in the Tirana County, central Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Tirana. The population at the 2011 census was 2,18 ...

, also called ''Shëngjergj Road'' ( sq, Rruga e Shëngjergjit). The road to Debar passed through Priskë e Madhe, Qafe Priskë, Domje, Shëngjergj, and further it continued through Bizë,

Martanesh Martanesh ( sq, Martaneshi) is a geographic and ethnographic region within the Dibër County in eastern Albania. Formerly a commune, at the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë. The population at the 20 ...

Zerqan Zerqan (Albanian pronunciation: ) is a village and a former municipality in the Dibër County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë. The population at the 2011 census was 4,111. ...

and finally

. The road connected Tirana with the eastern highlands, and was mainly used by farmers to bring produce and livestock into the city. The butchering profession was owned by certain families such as Xheleti, or Kuka families. They were called ''tabakë'' in Albanian which is the profession that includes both butchering and tanning. The road within the city, a square and also the bridge itself were called ''Rruga e Tabakëve'' ( en, Tanners' Road). The bridge was in use across the

stream to the other until the 1930s. Later the Lanë was diverted from its previous course. In the 1990s the bridge was cleaned and fully restored, and now the bridge is used for pedestrians only. In 2007 one of the engineers that worked on the "Ethnography in movement" project declared to the Albanian News Agency ( sq, Agjencia Telegrafike Shqiptare) that the underground infrastructural work on the bridge had been completed. During the restoring work the bridge's foundations were uncovered and an artificial pond was recreated on both sides of the bridge. In addition, the original stones of the bridge were cleaned up. A historical reevaluation of the area is in the municipality projects, inclusive of the construction of an underground market. The overall project intends that the entire area be used by pedestrians only. The intended area extends from the Tanners' bridge to the square where the flag of Albania was raised for the first time on 26 November 1912. The bridge is now seen by the municipality of Tirana as one of the most important cultural heritage monuments of the city. The bridge is considered as a testimony of Tirana's urban development in the 18th century. The Tanner's Bridge is also a testimony of fine bridge construction from the area of Tirana.

References

External links

Pictures of Tanners' Bridge
{{Tirana Bridges completed in the 18th century Buildings and structures in Tirana Tourist attractions in Tirana Stone arch bridges Pedestrian bridges in Albania Ottoman bridges in Albania