BLLOKU
A former 25-hectare district once reserved for the Communist elite. Today, it's the capital's liveliest district.
Covering an area of around 25 ha, the "Bloc" was the district reserved for the elite of the communist regime between 1961 and 1991. Also known as Ish-Blloku ("Old Bloc"), it is today one of Tirana's most popular areas, with its business towers, night bars, chic boutiques and small, clean green spaces. It forms a square approximately 500 m square, between Bajram-Curri Boulevard to the north, along the Lana River, and Abdyl-Frashëri Street to the south, and between Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard to the east and Sami-Frashëri Street to the west. Well described in the novel Le Paumé by Fatos Kongoli (Payot et Rivages, 2005), the district was off-limits to the vast majority of the population. It was guarded by the Republican Guard, including a bunker that today forms part of the Communist Isolation Memorial. In 1991, when Blloku was finally opened, residents flocked to discover this apparatchik sanctuary, in particular Villa 31, the home of dictator Enver Hoxha, right in the center of the district, along rue Ismail-Qemali. Expecting to find infinite luxury, they were a little disappointed when they came across this simple dwelling. Built in concrete with a small garden, the house comprises just two wings of two and three storeys. A far cry from the grandeur of the palaces of other European Communist dictators. Today, Villa 31 serves as a residence for guests of foreign delegations.
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