Category: Museums

The regime of Enver Hoxha made sure to create enough bunkers throughout the country. But where would the government flee to in case of an attack on Tirana, Albania? In the eastern suburbs of the capital city you can find the answer: a giant fallout shelter. Close to the Dajti Ekspres you can find a long tunnel through a mountain and when leaving the tunnel and passing some buildings you can find the bunker entrances.

For a long time nobody really knew what was happening in the house with leaves growing around it – but everybody had a suspicion. First the Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo) of the occupying Germans used the building for interrogations, then the Albanian secret service, the Sigurimi, took it over for the same purpose. It became their central office between 1944 and 1991. Since 2017 the Shtëpia e Gjetheve (‘House of Leaves‘) is now open as the Museum of Secret Surveillance.

The national art gallery of Tirana, Albania or Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve is located close to the city centre at Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit. You can easily find it behind the artwork ‘The Cloud‘ (REJA). From the outside the building doesn’t look too promising but it has a good collection of 4100 historic works – beginning in the 13th century CE – and the presentation of these is very good. On the ground floor changing exhibitions are shown, often with contemporary art.

The Muzeu Historik Kombëtar is located directly at the Skanderbeg square in the heart of Tirana, Albania. You can’t overlook this building as it carries a giant mosaic (called Shqipëria / Albania) that shows Albanians from different eras – only the red star above Mother Albania has been removed. The museum shows the national history of the country chronologially from ancient times until today.

Not far away from the Skanderbeg square of Tirana, Albania you can find several buildings belonging to ministries. Of course during communist times a bunker system was secretly created underneath that is today used as a museum. It is named Bunk’Art 2 and is an addition to the Bunk’Art museum within the fallout shelter in the eastern suburbs of the city.

Maybe it is the smallest art gallery on the planet: the ZETA Contemporary Art Center at Tirana, Albania. It shows the works of Albanian and international artists in just one room. When you’re at Blloku just drop in for some minutes – you don’t need too much time. The hardest task is to find it within the Hekla Center.