Colorful Painted Buildings of Tirane

Colorful Painted Buildings of Tirane, Albania

Under all of the grit, dust, and exhaust fumes, one of the most striking features about Albania’s capital city, Tirane, is that many of its apartment buildings are painted with bright colors in stripped patterns. Tirane’s mayor, Edi Rama, was once a painter, and he did not leave his art behind as he took the reins of the city. Rather, he made the entire urban center his canvas.

Photo taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/davduf/540541113/in/photostream/

An article in the New Yorker states that, “Rama has been in office for nearly five years he was elected in 2000, at the age of thirty- six, and reelected three years later), and the first thing he did was to order paint. He blasted the facades of Tirana’s gray Stalinist apartment blocks with color-riotous, Caribbean color-turning buildings into patchworks of blues, greens, oranges, purples, yellows, and reds, and the city itself into something close to a modern-masters sampler.”

I suppose the mayor is also a pretty interesting fellow, as he is 6 foot 6, has a beard, a funny vest, red socks, and a frock coat, sings hip-hop songs, and walks the streets of Tirane making sure that nobody is stealing street lights or otherwise messing up his masterpiece.
————–
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Istanbul, Turkey- February 9, 2008
Travelogue — Travel Photos — Travel Guide
————–

This photo was taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/davduf/540431310/

The colorful buildings of Tirane cut through its otherwise drab seeming appearance, and are enough to make a traveler look twice an regard the city as something interesting, unique, and full of character. I am reminded of the old color coded cities of Rajasthan. After spending a few days in Tirane, I must say that this city is absolutely liveable.

Patterns painted upon apartment buildings in Tirane contrast sharply with the bombed out, gun shot look of many other Balkan cities.

Painted buildings of Tirane, Albania.

Edi Rama, the mayor of Tirane, and architect of this city-wide masterpiece.

Related Pages:
Tirane Albania Good City

Sources:
New Yorker Article on Tirane’s mayor, Edi Rama

Colorful Painted Buildings of Tirane, Albania