Pallati i Brigadave
Coordinates: 41°18′41″N 19°50′0″E / 41.31139°N 19.83333°E
| The Royal Palace | |
|---|---|
| Pallati Mbretëror | |
| Alternative names | Pallati i Brigadave |
| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Rationalism; Monumental Rationalism |
| Location | Tirana, Albania |
| Construction started | c.1930 |
| Completed | 1941 |
| Client |
H.M. King Zog I of the Albanians. H.M. Queen Géraldine of the Albanians. |
| Owner | Prince Leka of Albania |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Gherardo Boso |
The Royal Palace or Oborri Mbretëror Shqipetar, formerly known as "The Palace of Brigades" (Albanian: Pallati Mbretëror i Tiranës or Pallati i Brigadave), is a royal palace situated in Tirana, Albania. It previously served as the main official residence of King Zog I. It has been used by different Albanian governments for various purposes. In 1945 it officially ceased to serve as a residence because the monarchist regime was substituted with the Communist one. Since then, it has been used by the Government for ceremonies and state receptions.
History
The Minister of Finance, Mufid Libohova, entered into negotiations with a group of Italian financiers represented by Mario Alberti. An agreement was made for the opening of a National Bank and for a loan of 50,000,000 gold francs (approximately 10,000,000 gold dollars). This loan, also called "The SVEA Loan", made it possible for the King to build the Royal Palace. The new palace was designed by three Italian architects, including Giulio Berte, and the Sauk Hills were chosen for its location. Due to the outbreak of World War II, and the 1939 Italian Invasion of Albania, King Zog I fled Albania and never had a chance to see the Palace fully constructed. The Italians finished it and used it as the Army Headquarters. The building was completed, between 1939 and 1941, under the supervision of architect Gherardo Bosio.[1]
The building served as a Royal Palace only once, for King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy during his only visit to Albania in May 1941.[2] During the remainder of World War II it served as the official residence for Francesco Jacomoni, the first Luogotenente del Re (the title of the Italian Viceroy), and later for his successor, the Fascist General Alberto Pariani.[2] Both lived there along with their families. After Italy capitulated in September 1943, the Albanian officer who served the Palace hid the palace's official flag from the Germans and sent it to Italy, where it remained until 2003, when it was purchased by Artan Lame and returned to Albania.[2] After the German takeover of the country in September 1943, the Albanian parliament convened in the Palace and proclaimed the detachment of the Albanian Crown from the Italian Crown.[2] In 1945 the Palace was renamed Palace of the Brigades, a name which remained in use throughout the Communist regime,[2] and it is sometimes still in use by the Albanian media.[3] During the Communist regime it served as a Government reception facility.
The official term used after the communist regime's fall in 1992 and until 2013 was "Presidential Palace". After 1945 the building served as the Presidential Palace for official receptions. In January 2010, the Municipality of Tirana proposed that the Palace be opened to the public.[2] In August 2013 the head of the former royal House of Zogu won a legal bid to have the palace and other properties restored to him.
It is located on the side of the Tirana Park on the Artificial Lake. Construction began by Ahmet Zogu as a Royal Palace in 1939, but the building was not finished until 1941, by which time Zogu had left the country due to the Italian invasion of Albania. The Palace is adjacent to the Tirana Park on the Artificial Lake.
Style
Architecturally, the Palace belongs to monumental rationalism. It is unique in its genre, not only in Albania but in the wider sphere of Fascist-era architecture, including in Italy itself.[2] The Palace's bas-reliefs were covered with drapes in the '70s during the Cultural Revolution, but not destroyed. Nevertheless, the Palace as a whole is in dire need of restoration.[2] A description of the then new (and unfinished) Royal Palace appeared in the issue of Life dated May 22, 1939.
Gardens
Because of its situation near the Tirana Lake Park, the palace gardens are quite extensive. The Royal Palace is surrounded by trees for nearly 200 meters. The gardens are decorated in patterns and shapes of various designs. The palace also has a tennis court.
Restitution of the Royal Palace in 2013
In February 2013 the Crown Prince of Albania, Leka Zog II, launched a legal bid for the legal restitution of two formerly royal palaces located in Tirana which he asserted were formerly the property of the House of Zogu and to which he had legal ownership of as the head of that house. The court ruled that he had the right to seek such restitution even though the prince was not in possession of the deeds for those properties. The two palaces he claimed on behalf of his family were the Pallati i Princeshave (Palace of the Princesses) and the Pallati i Brigadave, formerly known as the Pallati Mbretëror or "Royal Palace".[4]
In August 2013 the Supreme Court of Albania ruled that Leka Zog II was the lawful owner of the two properties which had both been illegally expropriated from his grandfather, King Zog, by the post war authorities.[5] Since the court ruling the building is once again the main official residence of the Albanian royal family and has been renamed Oborri Mbretëror Shqipetar meaning, "Royal Court of Albania".[6]
External links
References
- ↑ "Albanian Presidential Palace returns to the public". Independent Balkan News Agency. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Budini, Belina (2004-10-29). "Pallati i Brigadave ose fantazma e një pallati mbretëror" (in Albanian). Shekulli. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- ↑ KosPress (28 November 2008). "Topi uron nga pallati i Brigadave, mbështet Kosovën". Kosova Press (in Albanian) (Kosova Press). Retrieved 5 August 2010.
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