Dr. Vasil Laboviti House

The house of Dr Vasil Laboviti, in Gjirokastër

The house of Dr Vasil Laboviti is an elegant neoclassical residence of Gjirokastër, which was the home and the practice of a respected doctor. The Gjirokastër audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this residence, a witness of the cultivated bourgeoisie of the town.

The neoclassical residence of the doctor

This residence is recognised by its neoclassical architecture and by the commemorative plaque bearing the inscription Dr Vasil Laboviti, surgeon-gynaecologist. It was both the home and the workplace of this doctor. Born in 1902 and trained in medicine at the University of Graz, in Austria, Dr Laboviti was one of the most respected practitioners of southern Albania. His house, with a more Western elegance than the traditional stone tower-houses, testifies to the openness to Europe and the culture of the bourgeoisie of Gjirokastër at the beginning of the twentieth century. A place of memory of a man devoted to the health of his fellow citizens, this residence adds a human page to the history of the town.

What to see

You admire the elegant neoclassical residence, with the commemorative plaque of Dr Vasil Laboviti, surgeon-gynaecologist trained in Austria and one of the most respected doctors of southern Albania, a witness of the openness and the culture of the bourgeoisie of Gjirokastër. The house adds a human page to the history of the town. It is a stop for those curious about history, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The house of Dr Vasil Laboviti lies in the old town of Gjirokastër, reachable on foot by sloping alleys. You mainly admire its façade and the commemorative plaque from the street; it is a residence whose access follows its own uses. You discover it during a walk in the historic centre.

Who was Dr Vasil Laboviti?

A doctor born in 1902, a surgeon-gynaecologist trained at the University of Graz in Austria, one of the most respected practitioners of southern Albania; this neoclassical residence was his home and workplace.

Where is the house of Dr Vasil Laboviti?

In the old town of Gjirokastër, in Albania.