The National Arena, known as the “Air Albania” Stadium, was built on the site of the former “Qemal Stafa” Stadium. It has a capacity of 22,500 seats, which makes it the largest stadium in Albania. The original stadium, conceived by Italian architect Gherardo Bozio in 1939-41, was built in the shape of an Olympic stadium. Bosio envisioned for the building a monumental entrance, with wide stairs and sculptural reliefs. The first stone for the construction of the stadium was laid in a symbolic way by Galeazzo Ciano, the fascist foreign minister of Italy and at the same time the son-in-law of Benito Mussolini, in August 1939. The works for the construction of the stadium continued for four years until they were interrupted in 1943, when Italy capitulated. During the Nazi occupation the stadium was used by the German forces as a parking lot for their vehicles. The works for the construction of the stadium were completed after World War II. The “Air Albania” stadium, designed by Marco Casamonti of the “Archea Associati” Studio, represents a structure with a special polygonal shape (octagonal) so that each side allows access to the other separate parts. In one corner of the stadium structure is a 112-meter tall tower (24 stories), which is currently the tallest tower in Albania.
Address: Square Italia, Tirane
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