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Albania/アルバニア

【Albania/Tirana】Should we go to the "National History Museum"?

10/02/2023

Naoto

Japanese Language Teacher🇯🇵【日本語教師】(used to be a Junior high school Japanese teacher/元中学国語教師) World Trip🌎/Education✏️【旅行・教育について】

"Should you visit the "National History Museum" in Albania?"

This review is based on an actual visit to the National History Museum in the main square of Tirana, the capital of Albania.

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The most valuable in Albania/Tirana

The huge painting on the outside wall is a landmark.

It can be said that the number one tourist attraction in Tirana, Albania. That is the National History Museum, which is located here.

It is located in the main square and is characterized by large paintings on the walls.

National Historical Museum was inaugurated on October 28, 1981. As the most important museum in Albania, National Historical Museum aims to provide knowledge and appreciation of Albania’s history to the local, national and international public. It also aims to encourage dialogue among citizens about the Albanian past, present and future. For this purpose, it preserves and studies material and immaterial evidence of Albania’s historical and cultural heritage, which are communicated and introduced in an environment that promotes education. It also organizes and enables activities that support its vision and mission. There are about 6,200 objects in the museum’s premises, which belong to a relatively long period of time, beginning back to the IV millennium BC until the second half of the 20th century. There are around 3100 exhibited objects. The rest of the objects are in funds. Currently, the National Historical Museum has seven pavilions: Antiquity, with 585 objects; The Middle Ages, with 217 objects; Iconography, with 90 objects (of which 70 are icons and 20 are liturgical church objects); National Renaissance, with 230 objects; Independence, with 142 objects and so on.  The National Historical Museum is a scientific research institution. In addition to the pavilions, the museum also has archive and laboratory environments, temporary exhibitions halls and conference rooms.

「National History Museum」Web site

So I was curious to see if I could learn even a little bit about the history of this unknown country called Albania, and I entered the museum right away!

The admission fee was 500 lek (1 lek = approx. 4.6 USD).

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The style traces the history of Albania from B.C. in order

Ticket:500Lek

*Photo was prohibited inside the museum, so if you are interested in photos, please view them from Google Maps, the official website, or Youtube.

Immediately after entering the entrance, there was a display of letters that would have been written and ornaments that would have been made by the people who lived in the land of Albania before BC.

After that, the exhibition gradually moved back in time, displaying the situation in Albania during World War I and World War II.

The main items would be the photos, weapons, and tools from this wartime period.

Also inside, there was an area about Mother Teresa, and to my surprise, the actual wall from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was displayed there.

I was personally satisfied to see a little connection with Japan, probably because of the Mother Teresa connection.

I did not take the time to look at all of the exhibits or read all of the explanations, but I felt that this was a spot where I could get a sense of why Albania was called the "unexplored region of Europe" or the "North Korea of Europe," as well as the sense of isolation that the country had during its isolation.

It takes 1 hour and not crowd

I was personally satisfied, but during the hour I was touring the museum, there were zero other visitors.

It does not seem to be very popular among tourists or locals. (I guess it depends on the time of year.)

Conversely, it is a place where you can freely see what you want to see, in any order you want, without being disturbed by the presence or voices of others.

There is also a souvenir shop in the museum.

However, there are no mugs or stationery of any kind, just traditional clothes that were made decades ago.

They are fairly pricey and there is nothing here that you can buy as a small souvenir.

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Best for a quick feel of Albanian history

"You should definitely go!"

"You can't miss this place when touring Albania!"

Honestly, I cannot say these.

However, you can spend half a day in Albania and see all the country offers.

If you have time to spare, it is the best place to experience the history of the war in Albania firsthand.

By the way, the opening hours of the museum are as follows.

  • Monday:Close
  • TuesdayーSaturday:9:00-16:00
  • Sunday:10:00-15:00

This time schedule may have changed, but the above photo is from early February 2023.

The museum is in "Skanderbeg Square"

You can see all square from in the museum,

The "National History Museum" stands with quite a presence in the heart of the center of Tirana, in "Skanderbeg Square."

Don't worry, you don't have to look for it to find it.

There is no Wi-Fi and no place to eat in the building.

I was told that payment is by cash only, so be sure to have some cash ready in advance.

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End...

Thank you for reading this far.

Around the square, high-rise buildings are under construction. The National Museum of History is located in the center of the city, which is expected to flourish in the future.

To be honest, I thought, "Try a little harder to attract visitors! but I am sure that the number will increase in the future.

It would be nice to spend a relaxing time in Tirana, where there is a café culture, while experiencing a bit of history.

 

 

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Naoto

Japanese Language Teacher🇯🇵【日本語教師】(used to be a Junior high school Japanese teacher/元中学国語教師) World Trip🌎/Education✏️【旅行・教育について】

-Albania/アルバニア

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