We walked for 40 minutes into the historic centre of
Gjirokaster, taking the main shopping road from the Drino valley up towards the
castle. It was interesting to see the local shops and the shoppers before we
turned left randomly towards the castle and ended up in the Old Bazaar.
Suddenly there were tourists everywhere and even a bride posing in her bridal
gown. We walked up the many steps to the castle and paid the entrance fee.
Unsurprisingly, there were lots of people in the castle but most didn’t make it
to the museum where we found out about the history of the castle and its dark
past as a prison both in Nazi times and also during the communist era and at
both times many people died or were treated abominably. A sign outside the
castle asks visitors to remember all of those incarcerated or executed in
communist times. The museum, although lacking in finds, had excellent
information boards and we spent a good hour in there.
There is not a lot else to see in the castle apart from the intact walls and
the sections close to them that are in good condition. The other main
attraction is the view due to the castle’s commanding position. There is a
major folk festival here every year with music and dancing and there is a
large, permanent outdoor stage and seating area in the courtyard – a
spectacular position.
We had lunch in a restaurant with views up to the castle and down to the town
and then started to walk down. We were heading for the Skenduli House that has
an interesting history. It was a private mansion built in 1700 with changes
made in 1827. It was expropriated by the communist regime in 1984 and turned
into an ethnographic museum but was returned to the owners in 1992. They
restored it and, rather than living in It, they opened it to the public. It is
a very large traditional house and is fascinating. On the ground floor a huge
cistern (130,000 litres!) provides water and a pantry is located on the other
side of the wall to keep things cool. Another dry pantry and storerooms
complete the ground floor and a steep wooden staircase leads up through a
lockable trap door to the first floor where a large open balcony, cool in the
summer, provides wonderful views over the town and valley. There are many
reception rooms and bedrooms, some with en-suite toilets and hamams (steam
rooms). The house has 64 windows, nine chimneys and six toilets – a huge
statement of wealth and prestige. Remnants of the original paintings can still
be seen on the outside walls. The most impressive room is the betrothal room
(sorry, no photos allowed) where weddings took place. No women, except the
bride, were allowed in the room although women could observe from a screened
balcony at the back. The bride was only in the room for 10 minutes, being lead
from the lower part of the room where the ceiling has a single carved rose, to
the upper part with two carved roses, symbolising the union of bride and bridegroom.
The room is beautifully decorated and the plasterwork around the fireplace is
full of symbolism of fertility and luck for the family.
We returned to the campsite, plotting a different route to the main road
through the old town.
Photos: A restored house in the old town; Bride posing in the old bazaar – we
wondered how many other locations she had to pose in; Stone carving is one of
the local crafts using a soft greenish stone; And here is some of his work;
WWII field guns line the way to the museum in the castle; The infamous prison
where many suffered; A view from the castle; The Skenduli House; And one of its
impressive reception rooms; We arrived back at the campsite to find this
monster all-terrain German truck
towering over everything else – it is the tallest motorhome that I have ever
seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment