Gjirokastër has places that history preserves. People also keep them alive through memory.
Near the famous plane tree in the city’s Bazaar, the Hunters’ Club became a well-known part of local life after 1947. The building had once housed the Prefecture café. Later, the hunters’ association moved its offices there. It also opened a meeting and reading room.
Above all, the club became a place where residents gathered. They met for coffee, raki, long conversations and friendship.
Over the years, Qemo Gega, Malo Shehu and Kato Bedjava worked there. Meanwhile, Cile Muka prepared traditional dishes featuring game meat.
However, the Hunters’ Club became much more than a club. It turned into a popular meeting point for the people of Gjirokastër.
“Meet me at the plane tree, at the Hunters’ Club” became a familiar address. People used it for coffee, conversation or meetings with friends.
Writer Dritëro Agolli also mentioned the place in his memories of Alizot Emiri. He described it as part of everyday life in Gjirokastër, where people chose “the plane tree, at the Hunters’ Club” for a coffee.
Today, the name still evokes a different Gjirokastër. It recalls long conversations, spontaneous meetings and friendships around a coffee or a glass of raki.
Ultimately, cities do not live only in their stones. They also live in the memories of their people.
/a.c/
The post At the Plane Tree, at the Hunters’ Club… appeared first on RTSH English.
