Die Welt: Tirana is a city for people of taste

The largest German newspaper Die Welt continues its series of publications for Albania on the eve of opening negotiations with the EU, this time focusing on transforming Tirana.

By Sascha Lehnartz central Tirana is a major construction site. Baptismd in the name of the national hero, “Square Skenderbej” was recently the biggest car rotation in the Balkans. Now it's turning into a pedestrian mall. Surrounded by some ministries whose red - red facades are being renovated

The Mediterranean Tonets of Tirana, current Prime Minister Rama, began decorating Tirana when he too was mayor. One of the first steps experienced by the experienced artist was to paint the colorful paints of palaces.

The result gave the city an impressive Mediterranean note. Rama's work on transforming the city is strongly followed by his successor as Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj.

Be careful when you meet Veliaj, with “, those who know him, or he'll plant you a tree, he'll love that project. When I arrived, I discovered that the trees of that day had planted them in the morning. Veliaj, 38, dressed in a boy's vest, walked in his 100 m2 office, filled with souvenirs, gift from delegations, and design model architecture. It looks like a playground where kids come in.

A day earlier, Veliaj, together with the prime minister, presented the plan for a new National Theatre in the centre of the city. Danish architect Bjarke Ingels' star has designed the building in several stages, which transform the area with office facilities and shopping

Almost all major projects planned in Tirana, the project will be funded by public-private partnerships, not to further burden the state budget. Critics, like the IMF, are sceptical because transparency has been lacking in the past. Plan A: Germany Veliaj does not stop. Several dozen new schools are already being funded by this model; they are designed by architects known as Italian Stefano Boer. What about the criticisms of the IMF? With the idea of IMF budgets, he can build only 1 school per year. Tirana needs 45 new schools, and the city has grown incrediblely.

Every Albanian on the outskirts of the country aspires as Plan A goes to Germany. If this doesn't work, Plan B is to move to Tirana.

With Plan A take care of you, I have to manage all plans B”, making fun of Veliaj with German friend. In the past two decades, the city has grown from 300,000 to about 1 million, due to the ecstasy from rural areas. This trend is not stopping! “If we follow in addition to the IMF, it will take 45 years to have the schools we need”, Veliaj says. He doesn't waste time with slow processes for transformation. Now you're working on a bike rental system. <

A model tells us in his office from the same Chinese network that has already filled all German cities. We'll try to organize it even better here”, Veliaj says, as he shows us another design model. It's the pyramid built downtown for dictator Enver Hoxha.

It was originally thought of as its mazoleum, but never achieved. Now Veliaj will transform this ruin of the most stable Eastern regime into a digital youth centre.

Veliaj's development theory comes as a kind of jomrog jom away. If you're as far behind as we were, you can't slow down. You need to jump forward, and then you pass 2-3 stages at once”