PLACE ÇERÇIZ-TOPULLI

Dominated by the Gjirokastra citadel, this square (Sheshi Çerçiz Topulli) marks the entrance to the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Home to the tourist office and the "Cold War Tunnel", it is named in honour of Çerçiz Topulli (1880-1915), a writer and Bektashi guerrilla from Gjirokastra who distinguished himself fighting against the Ottomans and Greeks. His bronze statue, created in 1934 by the great sculptor Odhise Paskali (1903-1985), retains the mark of a bullet fired during the Italian occupation (1939-1943). Made pedestrian-friendly in 2023, the square now boasts an underground parking lot with over 500 spaces. It is bordered by four important buildings: the Greek consulate (a large Greek-speaking population lives in and around the town), the district prefecture, the town hall and the massive Hotel Çajupi. The latter is a former Communist-era tourist establishment named after the poet and lawyer Andon Zako Çajupi (1866-1930). To the right of the latter, in front of the charming little Hotel Argjiro, is the wall of "city celebrities" (Nderi i Qytetit), with portraits of linguist and historian Eqrem Çabej (1908-1980), writer Musine Kokalari (1917-1983), diplomat Rauf Fico (1881-1944), surgeon and gynecologist Vasil Laboviti (1902-1980) and, of course, writer Ismail Kadaré (b. 1936). From the square, Gjin-Zenebisi Street (a powerful ^14th-century nobleman) climbs to the "Bazaar Pass", the center of the old town.