My second visit this lovely city, Shkoder may not have many big sights but is a very pleasant place to wander around. After a couple of weeks exploring Croatia and Montenegro it felt much more like a living city than a tourist attraction.
The Cathedral of St Stephen was almost empty other than a tour group that I later ran into again at Ebu Beker mosque. It has had an eventful history, being damaged by earthquakes and bombings, and spent 23 years under communism as a Palace of Sport, before being reopened as a church in 1990.
I loved it’s colourful neighbour. The Albanians do like to paint their buildings bold colours.
Near opposite the cathedral is Rruga Gjuhadol, a semi-pedestrianised street filled with heritage buildings in various states of preservation.
Along it is the attractive Kisha E Motrave Stigmatine.
The character of Rruga Gjuhadol continues on Rruga Kolë Idromeno, filled with outdoor seating for its many restaurants.
The Nativity of Christ is the main Orthodox Church, which unfortunately wasn’t open when I visited.
Neither was the Franciscan Church of Shkodër unfortunately.
Albania is a predominantly Muslim country, followed by about 60% of the population according to the 2011 Census, but the results were disputed both by the Muslim and Christian communities. Other sources say that Albanian is one of the least religious countries in the world, a product of communism, when Albania was declared the first atheist country in the world in 1967. Either way Ebu Beker Mosque is an attractive building, with a lovely blue and white interior, and set in a block of greenery.
El Zamil Mosque is the other main central mosque, again boldly coloured, but as with my previous visit five years ago it was closed.
The Millennium Cinema was rather grand, with a nicely decorated bar area.
The Municipality Building was also impressive.
It was next to a very pleasant park with fountains, memorials and artwork.
The literal high point of Shkoder is Rozafa Castle, 3.5km from the city centre, which rises above everything, despite only being 130m above sea level. The hill has been occupied since antiquity, but the oldest surviving part dates from the 4th century. It’s a bit of a confusing place with little explanation, but is evocative.
It also has incredible views of the surrounding landscape.
Below is the Lead Mosque, also known as the Buşatlı Mehmet Pasha Mosque, built in 1773. It has often been damaged, and is currently being restored for the fourth time, with support from the Albanian and Turkish governments.
A sobering experience was visiting the sparse but effective Site of Witness and Memory. It had been a prison during the brutal communist times, in which religion in particular was targeted. In 1967 Albania was declared the world’s first atheist country. The torture room was confronting.
