Guide to Albania
Must See Albania
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Nothing captures the history of 20th-century Albania quite like Tirana's vast central square. On one side is a horseshoe-shaped ensemble of government buildings built by Mussolini in the 1930s, when fascist Italy practically owned its little neighbour. The former headquarters of Albania's dreaded Communist-era secret police, the Sigurimi, lies just behind them.
In front of the buildings is an equestrian statue of Albania's greatest hero, Gjergj Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), with sword held rigidly upright and beard jutting magnificently. On the other side of the square is the vast Soviet-built National History Museum, complete with an enormous mosaic of Alanian liberators throughout the centuries. A high plinth in front of the museum used to host a golden statue of Albania's Communist dictator, Enver Hoxha. The quaint little Et'Hem Mosque to the side of the square was one of the few religious buildings to survive the 1967 cultural revolution, and is covered in delicate paintings. Skanderbeg Square is Albania is a nutshell - or one big piece of real estate, at least.
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