Lezha Demo Self-Guided Audio Tour

Our audios start point is Lezha City Hall. Please, listen the following audio before leaving the building. Lezha is a city in the Republic of Albania. It is one of Albania's continuously inhabited cities with roughly 2,200 years of recorded history. One of the main strongholds of the Illyrian Tribe called Labeatet. The earliest of the fortification walls of Lezha, are of typical Illyrian construction and are dated to the late 4th century BC. Lezha was one of the main canters of the Illyrian kingdom. It's ancient name was Lissus. During the conflicts with Macedon, it was captured by Philip V, becoming the Macedonian outlet to the Adriatic Sea. The city was later recovered by the Illyrians. Then It was subjected to Rome, after the Roman-Illyrian wars and the fall of Gentius' realm. Lezha was the site of the League of Lezha, where Skanderbeg united the Albanian lords in the fight against the Ottoman Empire. Today, Lezha is a growing city. Its proximity to the port of Shengjin, makes it a wonderful tourist attraction. Its location on the national road between the Montenegrin border to the North, and Tirana to the South, makes it an important location for industry and business.

Gjergj Kastrioti Square is considered the second city center of Lezha. There is a parking lot available, with important buildings surrounding it. Please, check next stop and get ready for our audio.

The Palace of Culture is located in front of Lezha City Hall, slightly to the left and across the square. Please move toward it and listen to our audio. This palace was named after Ded Ndue Lazri, a prominent artist from Lezha. He was born in Dragush on April 7, 1939. As a 16-year-old youngster, he wrote his first folklore poems. He is well-known for his poems "5 Heroes of Vig", "The Girl from the Alps", and so on. In 1967, he launched his first novel, Valleys and Mountains Sing. In 1968, he published another book titled "Stronger than an earthquake". Both books are in Albanian only. He was the inventor of the Ciftelia ensemble. In 1979, he received the "Naim Frasheri" second-class medal. In 1983, he received the "Naim Frasheri" first-class medal. In 1984, he was awarded the title "Meritorius Artist". === Please receive directions to our Lezha Ethnographic Museum.

The ethnographic museum will present the culture of this historic city through traditions, but you will also learn about its unique features. The Ethnographic Museum of Lezha houses a wide range of cultural values, costume design, handicrafts, and handcrafted dishes. If you've ever thought in visiting this city, be prepared to see many of its traditions and seek out much more. Please get directions to our next stop.

Now we stand in front of the "Gjergj Fishta" Library. Very well-known figure in Northern Albania. Gjergj Fishta (October 23, 1871 – December 30, 1940) was an Albanian Franciscan friar, poet, educator, politician, translator, and writer. He is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of the 20th century due to his epic masterpiece "Lahuta e Malesís". He was the editor of two of the most authoritative magazines after Albania's independence, Posta ee Shiqpnis ( meaning: Albanian Post) and Ylli i Drites (meaning: Star of the Light). Notably, he chaired the commission of the Manastir Congress, that approved the Albanian alphabet. He was a member of the Albanian delegation to the Versailles Conference, in 1919. He joined the Albanian parliament in 1921 and rose to the position of deputy chairman; subsequently, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of Albania's most significant cultural and intellectual personalities. After the communist regime took power, his literary work was removed from circulation and remained so until the fall of communism. Gjergj Fishta and Skenderbeg statues can be found near the library's entrance. Both were treated as Albanian heroes. We'll chat more about Skenderbeg after we go to the memorial. Please turn right and follow the road until the next stop.