Tirana

Going bananas for Tirana

In 2010 a group of Albanian politicians organised a hunger strike in protest at the electoral problems of the year before. In January 2011 the police killed three protesters in front of parliament. This year marks the return of citizens riled at the irregularities at the foundation of local elections in June. In Tirana everything revolves around politics, but some are able to rise above the stench of disappointment. Between architects, artists, journalists and students, a new generation is trying to revive a young Balkan capital. Read the articles from our Bosnian-Serbian-Spanish-French team who report from Albania in the framework of our special edition, Orient Express Reporter (Image: (cc) davduf/ Flickr)

• Read the special edition Going bananas for Tirana
• Can contemporary art change 'new capitalist' Tirana?
• Try finding an Arab revolution in Albania
• Albanophobia: land for Harry Potter villains?
• Tirana's mobile, open, creative new generation has arrived

There's no place for art in Tirana

One German visitor paints a bleak picture of the Albanian capital as a city of art and culture. In delapidated surroundings, the small seeds planted by creative folk via the Marubi academy and Tirana international contemporary art biennial struggle to grow

by Jorn Ebner @ // 06/11/09

tirana, cinema, travel, socialism, festivals, film festival, art

Albania: polit-tourism between coves and concrete beach bunkers

At the confluence of the Adriatic and Ionean Seas lies Albania, Europe’s last undiscovered paradise is now looking to tourism to stimulate its economy and is hoping for a better image in the west after having joined Nato and put in an EU bid. 20 years after the fall of the dictatorship, Albania is developing into a hidden gem for independent travellers

by n- ost @ // 28/06/09

tirana, european union, travel, beach, enlargement, dictature, enlargement

Albania: 'Nato yes, PM Berisha no!'

Whilst Tirana celebrated an invitation to join the Nato alliance alongside Croatia on 2 April, the opposition mobilised itself to denounce the government

by hans-ulrich lempert // 08/04/08

tirana, non-eu countries, candidate countries, sali berisha, council of europe, future of europe, bucharest

Ornela Vorpsi: me, Albania and the 'whoring of the human race'

The Italian-writing, Paris-dwelling, prize-winning Albanian writer, painter and photographer, 39, describes beauty as disturbing, discusses her inspirations and is hopeful for Kosovo

by Mary Maistrello @ // 18/01/08

tirana, art, italy, rome, europe, paris, brunch

Albania - El Dorado for tour operators

Insular for a long time, Albania has not always been a prime destination for travel agents. The current tourist craze for the Adriatic could benefit this little country on the Yugoslav peninsula

by françois vecchi muller // 11/09/07

tirana, economy, tourism, development, balkans, society, albania