The Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard () is a major thoroughfare in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. It was initially designed by Armando Brasini in 1925. Brasini's master plan was later amended by Florestano di Fausto, and in 1939 by Gherardo Bosio following the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania was a brief military campaign which was launched by Fascist Italy, Italy against Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939), Albania 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, and after the 1939 invasion was renamed ("Avenue of the talianEmpire"). In 1934 to 1935, a bridge was built over the boulevard by Gjovalin Gjadri. During the communist era in

, 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, but differing from it because it does not involve the original creation of statehood. It commemorates the end of an occupation ...

and

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

. 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 (, 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 (SUT) in 1957 through merging of five existing institutes ...

. The boulevard enters the city centre from the south and intersects with Bajram Curri Boulevard near the Rinia Park. 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 Skanderbeg, Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. The total area is about 40,000 square metres. The Skanderbeg Monument dom ...

and continues north of the centre to Zogu I Boulevard. During communism in Albania and in the 1990s, the boulevard served as an important social landmark where locals practiced the nightly stroll, also known as xhiro from Italian giro. 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 File:Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard aka Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit, Tirana, Albania.jpg, The street in 2022

References

Streets in Tirana Squares in Tirana {{Europe-road-stub