Presidential Palace, Tirana

41°18′41″N 19°50′0″E / 41.31139°N 19.83333°E / 41.31139; 19.83333

Presidential Palace
Pallati Presidencial
Façade of the Presidential Palace (formerly the Royal Palace).
Alternative names	Pallati i Brigadave
General information
Type	Palace
Architectural style	Monumental Rationalism
Location	Tirana, Albania
Address	Rruga e Elbasanit 58, Tirana 1019
Construction started	1936
Completed	1941
Client	HM King Zog I of the Albanians. HM Queen Géraldine of the Albanians.
Owner	Government of Albania
Technical details
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Gherardo Bosio

The Presidential Palace (Albanian: Pallati presidencial), formerly the Royal Palace (Albanian: Pallati mbretëror) and popularly known as the Palace of Brigades (Albanian: Pallati i Brigadave), is the official residence of the president of Albania. The palace was commissioned by King Zog I of the Albanians to serve as his main official residence.

In 1945, it ceased to serve as a royal residence because the monarchist regime was substituted by a Communist-ruled government. Since 1946, it has been used by the Government of Albania for holding official ceremonies and state receptions. In 2013, the palace became an official residence once again, when President Bujar Nishani and his family moved into a reconstructed villa inside the grounds of the palace.^[1]

Architecturally, the palace belongs to a rationalism style. It is unique in its genre, not only in the country but in the wider sphere of fascist architecture, including in Italy itself.^[2] Its bas-reliefs were covered with drapes in the 1970s during the cultural revolution, but not destroyed. Nevertheless, the palace as a whole is in dire need of restoration.^[2] A description of the then new (and unfinished) Royal Palace appeared in the issue of Life dated 22 May 1939.