Memorial i Skenderbeut
Memorial
The bust of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg stands in the square in front of the main entrance of Skënderbeu Stadium in Korçë and is the work of sculptor Pirro Dollaku. It shows Albania’s national hero in his famous goat-head helmet and is one of the city’s best-known landmarks for football supporters and visitors alike.
The bust is worked in a rough, pale, granite-like stone. Skanderbeg is shown frontally, with a heavy, concentrated gaze: furrowed brows, deep-set eyes, a strong nose and a moustache that merges into a long, wavy beard falling to mid-chest. On his head he wears the famous helmet, a rounded skullcap with a decorated band, topped by the head of a goat with two curved horns. The shoulders are covered by armour: on one side the links of chain mail are visible, while a folded cloak falls over the other shoulder. The diagonally cut base gives the figure movement.
The bust rests on a tall pedestal clad in grey-white veined marble, divided into four tiers by bands of dark granite, on a stepped platform of the same marble.
Gjergj Kastrioti (1405–1468) united the Albanian nobles in the League of Lezhë (1444) and resisted the Ottoman Empire for 25 years. The goat-head helmet, whose original is kept in Vienna, is his most recognisable symbol and also appears on the coat of arms of the Republic of Albania.
Skënderbeu Stadium opened in 1957 and was renovated in 2010–2011; it is the home of KF Skënderbeu Korçë, the club named after the hero. The monument stands in a public space, open at all hours and free of charge, about 10–15 minutes on foot from the city centre, and is a popular spot for photographs.
Korçë, Albania
Entry: Free
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