What You Will Do
This tour will take you to the frightening communist regime in Albania, which consists of presenting you the lifestyle, the old dictator’s Enver Hoxha crimes, a surveillance museum, bunkers built to survive the dangers of a nuclear war which existed only in the leader’s imagination, the Historical Museum and lots more.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
1
Skanderbeg Square
30 minutes
The first thing we will explore is the main square of Tirana which is composed of the Et'hem Bey Mosque, the Clock Tower of Tirana, the National Theater of Opera and Ballet (in which the first brick was put by the ex. President of Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev), the National Bank of Albania, one of the oldest hotels, iconic in Tirana, the Tirana International Hotel and more.
2
Muzeu Historik Kombetar
1 hour
Did you know that Albania was the only atheist country in the world before it was cool? And that a family of four could 'easily' live with 2 kg. of meat and 3 kg. of bread in a month?
That looks kinda weird, but living in a communist country it was hard to have more than others. And living (literally) in the most isolated country in the world was something extremely hard. No connections to the outside world (like, at all) meant no import-export process and no import-export meant not enough food for everyone but enough metals for all of the country's railway and more in stock. And that's only the beginning...
3
Enver Hoxha Pyramid
15 minutes
One of the most famous buildings in Tirana, the Pyramid stands at the main boulevard as a sign of the communist non-sensical regime. It was first built as a museum dedicated to Hoxha, the leader of the Communist Party, First Secretary of the Party of Labor from ’44-’85 to his day of death and the head-architect of the communism crimes. The Enver Hoxha mausoleum was opened three years later, in ’88 and it was co-designed by Hoxha’s daughter. After the fall of Communism in Albania, it has served as a cultural center, as a National Television office, and has survived a project to be destroyed but still stands as a symbol of notorious communism and mostly as a touristic attraction.
4
Postbllok - Checkpoint Monument
10 minutes
The ‘Postbllok’ is a Memorial to the Communist Isolation and deed and was built by the former regime dissident Fatos Lubonja and the artist Ardian Isufi. It consists of three main elements: a concrete defensive bunker (the dictatorship built thousands of them, one for each family, in case of a nuclear or world war), several concrete supports from the mine at the notorious Spaç labor camp where thousands of political prisoners suffered between 1968 and 1990 and a brightly painted section of the Berlin Wall from Postdamer Platz that once split Germany in two.
5
House of Leaves
1 hour
All the rooms of important people, foreign affairs workers and ambassadors, (a few) tourists, and everyone who was as close as to be called a threat to communism and society. Everyone could be a spy back then and you could go to prison for saying 'i'm hungry'. Why would you be hungry? The Party is feeding you well. Are you saying that the Party isn't doing its job? What could you be? Maybe a foreign secret agent wanting to seize our beloved country...BAM you would be sent to prison for most of your lifespan.
It is the museum in Tirana called the Museum of Secret Surveillance and has taken the name “House of Leaves” because of the plants covering its facade. It narrates best the terrors that cover a harsh dictatorship and is filled with mystery and legends about the secret activities that used to occur there.
6
Blloku
50 minutes
During our trip, we will pass at the notorious Block area, an area that used to serve as a living and leisure neighborhood only to the political communist bureau and that even maps used to miss. Nowadays it’s the heart of Tirana, full of fancy boutiques, colorful coffee shops, cocktails bars and pubs, and creative street-art. Here also lies the former villa of Hoxha, left untouched and unused (just like the pyramid), but still, as a sign of the luxurious life lived by the dictator. We can only see it from the outside since it’s not allowed to enter. We offer traditional food and rakija in a restaurant near the area and here we will make a shortstop.
7
Bunk'Art 1
1 hour
The museum is a new addition to the city of Tirana and it's filled with different rooms that would serve as shelters and rooms for the elite in case of an attack from the outer world...something that never happened. Nowadays the rooms are turned into museum rooms that contain fragments of the communist history of our country. It is almost 3000 m. square of underground rooms, corridors, and container rooms, spread over several floors The bunker was built in the '70 and remained a secret for much of its existence. It was designed to survive nuclear attacks, with walls made of double concrete and enough space to host more than 100 people. The labyrinthic style of the underground resort is exciting and the history will leave you speechless.
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