Presidential Palace, Tirana

The idea to build a royal palace on one of the hills of Sauk, near what was later to become the Grand Park of Tirana, was first conceived by King Zog I in the 1930s. Because of the limited funds of the nascent Albanian state, the then Minister of Finance, Mufid Libohova, entered into negotiations with a group of Italian financiers represented by Mario Alberti. An agreement was made for the opening of a national bank and for a loan of 50,000,000 gold francs (approximately 10,000,000 gold dollars). Part of this loan, also called "The SVEA Loan", was earmarked for the construction of his official residence, making it possible for the King to secure the funds to build the Royal Palace. The new palace was designed by three Italian architects, including Giulio Berte. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, and the 1939 Italian Invasion of Albania, King Zog I fled Albania and never had a chance to see the palace fully constructed. The Italians finished construction and used the palace mainly for the Army Headquarters. The building was redesigned and completed in 1941, by the Florentine architect Gherardo Bosio. The building served as a functioning royal palace only once, for King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy during his only visit to Albania in May 1941. In 1945 the palace was renamed as the Palace of the Brigades, a name which remained in use throughout the Communist regime, During the Communist regime it served mainly as a government reception facility. The official name of the palace was changed after the fall of the Communist regime in 1992 as the Presidential Palace. In January 2010, the Municipality of Tirana proposed that parts of the palace be opened to the general public. File: Tirana Royal Palace Brigades 1937.jpg | Design of the entrance facade File: Royal-Palace-Brigades.jpg | Design of the garden facade File: Tirana Palace of Brigades Construction 1936.jpg | The palace being constructed (1936) File: Tirana Palace of Brigades 1939.jpg | The palace in 1939 File: Zog's palace, built by the Italians and then after the invasion turned into a military hospital on the orders of Victor Emmanuel III during the Italian occupation.png | The palace during the Italian occupation File: Pallati i Brigadave North side.jpg | The north side of the palace ==Gardens==

Because of its situation near the Grand Park of Tirana, the palace gardens are quite extensive. The Royal Palace is surrounded by trees for nearly 200 metres. The gardens are decorated in patterns and shapes of various designs. The palace also has a tennis court. == Challenge to government ownership ==

In February 2013, Leka Zogu, pretender to the throne of Albania and who styles himself as the Crown Prince of Albania, began a legal challenge, claiming that he was the rightful owner of the Presidential Palace on the grounds that the property had belonged to King Zog I in his personal capacity, and that thus Prince Leka retained ownership as the former's heir. Leka Zogu claims to have won ownership of the building after a decision of August 2013 by the Supreme Court of Albania, and has declared that the palace would become the main official residence of the "Royal Court of Albania" (); but as of 2016, the palace has remained in government possession and continues serving as the official residence of the president of the Republic of Albania, and State receptions and ceremonies, such as the annual end-of-year "Presidential Ball", continue to be held in the palace. ==See also==