Old Town of Gjirokastër

The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit is definitely worthwhile, because here you can still experience the really old Albania.
The old houses of wealthy merchants are particularly impressive.

Gjirokastra owes its nickname "City of Stones" to its unique cityscape. Distinctive houses resembling small strongholds have characterized the quarters around the castle, today's old town, for centuries. Covered with stone slabs from the nearby mountains, the roofs used to regulate the temperature inside the houses. This was very beneficial for living in this continental climate. In this way, the houses remained quite cool in the summer, while extreme cold could be prevented in the winter. Another reason for using stone material for the roofs was that other materials like brick were much more expensive and stone was abundant in the area. White exterior facades, high wooden windows and many small inner courtyards with huge wooden courtyard gates also characterize the old town. Along the steep slopes are narrow, artfully paved streets that connect the different quarters and were laid out in the 18th century.

Gjirokastër in southern Albania is a picturesque stone town. Its old town with the pretty white-grey houses and cobblestone streets was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 together with Berat. Gjirokastra exudes a rich history around every corner. A walk in the Old Town and the Castle is like stepping back in time to antiquity, to Byzantine and Ottoman times. Exhibitions and museums in Gjirokastra even tell about the world wars and the decades of the Cold War.