Prime Minister Edi Rama wrote today in the social media that the work is ready to start to revive the cultural monument, the Zogu Bridge over the Mat River.

“The project drawn up by an inter-institutional group has already received the green light from the National Council of Cultural Heritage for intervention in this object”, wrote PM Rama in a post on social media.

The technical implementation project for the emergency intervention in the cultural monument, Zogu Bridge, is the result of the work of respected professors and experts of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic University and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, which, by order of the prime minister, got together for the design of the project, within a short time and in context of the Pact for the University.

A few days ago, Minister of Culture Elva Margariti announced the installation of monitoring equipment, which will provide technical and scientific data for design of implementation project.

According to Margariti, the approval of this project paves the way for the generation of funds, the start of design tasks and the launch of integral interventions to solve the problem on the ground, in the entire facility.

Zogu Bridge was inaugurated on May 26, 1927 and was designed by the Swiss engineer Erwin Schnitter.

The bridge is built with six arches, each 54 meters long. Built with cement and iron as one of the most modern bridge construction systems (for that time), even today, it has not lost its beauty and value./p.s./

Attending the inauguration ceremony were Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj, Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Security Policy, Péter Sztáray, Prince Leka Zogu, the World Leader of the Bektashis Haji Edmond Brahimaj, citizens etc.

Mayor of Tirana Veliaj said that he feels proud to lead this city, which today respects all those who have left their trace in our country.

On his part, the Hungarian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Security Policy, Péter Sztáray spoke about the excellent relations between Albania and Hungary over the years.

Prince Leka Zogu said that this work of art will adorn one of the central arteries of the capital.

The inauguration ceremony of the statue of Queen Geraldine was organized by the Municipality of Tirana with the Hungarian Embassy. The statue was made by sculptor Sandor Kligl and is a donation of the Hungarian Embassy to the city of Tirana.

Queen Gerladine was a Hungarian countess, before becoming princess in 1937, when she was engaged to King Zog and Queen from April 1938, when they got married. Geraldine or as she was called the ‘white rose of Hungary’, reigned less than a year, in April 1939, together with the King and her two-day-old son, Leka, they left Albania. In June 2002, she returned from South Africa to live in Albania, after the repeal of a law that had barred her from entering the country for decades. Queen Geraldine’s mother passed away five months later, at the age of 87, in Tirana, where she was buried with high state honours. /k.s/j.p/r.e/p.s./

He has followed all the developments that the boulevard “Zogu i Parë” has faced over the years, but which he prefers to call “Road to Train station”.

“This boulevard has been rather favourite for all those who came to the capital by train, the most massive means of transport before the ’90s. The road carries a lot of history and the municipality of Tirana has done one of the most beautiful things that has restored the glory of this boulevard, turning it into one of the most visited boulevards in Tirana “, said Lalo.

And the transformation view of this Boulevard stands before the eyes of everyone now. It is 35 m in width, increasing the width of sidewalks on both sides to 8.25 m. The boulevard has two lanes of vehicles on both sides of it, and the type of material, both for the road and for the sidewalks, is white stone asphalt.

On both sides of the boulevard, 4 new squares have been built by the Municipality. The first square is the “pocket” square and is paved with stone tiles furnished with greenery. There is also the “village” square, which has a water fountain, which creates the impact of a village center. “Fortuzi” Square was built on Fortuzi Street, and the fourth square is the “University Square”, which already has a fantastic image.

But, the municipality of Tirana is not satisfied with just that. It has also intervened in the blocks of flats located on both sides of the street, which have got a fantastic view with light sweet colors, different from one building to another, but are within a unified style for every unit. It has intervened in plastering, roofs, as well as in all rainwater drainage systems. All air-conditioners are arranged in one place, new grilles are installed, new windows, accompanied by wood and metal panels.

These are some of the changes that he finds in the boulevard “Zogu I”, which have almost completely changed the image of this boulevard, preserving in balance the past, which easily blends with the modern present.

All these changes have led to the concentration of a series of businesses on this boulevard, starting from banks, real estate companies, bars and restaurants, administrative centres, fashion and mixed goods stores, as well as a student network starting from the state ones and up to private ones.

A dizzying liveliness of this boulevard, where life swarms not only during the day, but also up to the limits of curfew due to Covid, as the lighting at night is another wonder of this boulevard.

Skerd Braho, expert on the real estate sales market informs that one of the achievements of the municipality, not only in the boulevard “Zogu I”, but also in many other streets both in the centre and in the suburbs, is the increase of the value of assets owned by citizens.

“The regulation of infrastructure gives an immediate impact on the value of properties, both for those who are renting and for those who own them and want to sell them. This ever-increasing market makes money even more circulating, as well as increases the chances that all parties involved in the sale and purchase will have their benefits. Not in vain on the boulevard “Zogu I”, now operate several companies that deal with the sale and purchase of property, as they see that the market is already dynamic, and that this boulevard, having as an extension the New Boulevard, will be one of the arteries main business, as it once was the main artery for those coming to Tirana. “Years pass, times change, but “Street to Train station” will continue to remain an emblem for Tirana, of course adapting to the times”, emphasized Braho./p.s./