The Tanners' Bridge () is an 18th-century Ottoman period stone

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

located in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. The bridge, built near the Tanners' Mosque, was once part of the ''Saint George Road'' that linked Tirana with the eastern highlands. The road was the route by which livestock and produce entered the city. The bridge crossed the

Lanë The Lanë ( sq-definite, Lana) is the main stream that crosses through Tirana, the capital of Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adria ...

stream near the area where butcher shops and leather workers were located. The bridge fell into disrepair when the Lanë was diverted in the 1930s. In the 1990s, the bridge was restored for use by pedestrians.

History

The Tanners' Bridge was part of the road that connected Tirana with

Debar Debar ( ; , sq-definite, Dibra or Dibra e Madhe) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has an ethnic Albanian majorit ...

through

Shëngjergj Shëngjergj ( Albanian for Saint George) is a village and a former municipality in Tirana County, central Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Tirana. The population at the 2011 census was 2,1 ...

, also called ''Shëngjergj Road'' (). The road to Debar passed through Priskë e Madhe, Qafe Priskë, Domje, Shëngjergj, and further on it continued through

Bizë Bizë also known as Bixë is a village in the former municipality of Shëngjergj in Tirana County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Tirana. Geography Bizë is a village situated in eastern Tirana C ...

Martanesh Martanesh () is a geographic and ethnographic region within the Dibër County in eastern Albania. Formerly a commune, at the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë. The population at the 2011 census was 1, ...

, Zerqan and finally

. The road connected Tirana with the eastern highlands, and was mainly used by farmers to bring produce and livestock into the city. There were certain families, such as Xheleti or Kuka, that engaged in tanning of animal hide. In Albanian, they were called ''tabakë'' lural of tabak which is the old name for that profession. The road within the city, a square and also the bridge itself were called ''Rruga e Tabakëve'' (). The bridge was in use across the

stream to the other until the 1930s. Later the Lanë was diverted from its previous course. In the 1990s, the bridge was cleaned and fully restored, and is now used by pedestrians alone. In 2007, one of the engineers that worked on the "Ethnography in movement" project declared to the Albanian News Agency () that the underground infrastructural work on the bridge had been completed. During the restoration work the bridge's foundations were uncovered and an artificial pond was recreated on both sides of the bridge. In addition, the original stones of the bridge were also cleaned up. A historical re-evaluation of the area is in the municipality projects, inclusive of the construction of an underground market. The overall project intends that the entire area be used by pedestrians only. The intended area extends from the Tanners' Bridge to the square where the flag of Albania was raised for the first time on 26 November 1912. The bridge is now seen by the municipality of Tirana as one of the most important cultural heritage monuments of the city. The bridge is considered as a testimony of Tirana's urban development in the 18th century. The Tanner's Bridge is also a testament to the fine bridge construction that was employed in Tirana at the time, and is one of many bridges in Albania dating from the Ottoman period which are of architectural and historical importance.

References

External links

Pictures of Tanners' Bridge
{{Tirana Bridges completed in the 18th century Buildings and structures in Tirana Tourist attractions in Tirana Stone arch bridges Pedestrian bridges in Albania Ottoman bridges in Albania