Albania

My Albania travel summary:

Visited: May 2010

Duration of visit: 5 days

Capital city: Tirana

Population: 3.0 million (2010)

Albania travel blog reading time: 11 minutes

• Staying an old socialist-era hotel Shkodër, possibly once used by top politicians.
• Navigating among pointed peaks on turquoise waters of Lake Koman.
• Liberty, freedom and Western influence battling with the communist legacy in Tirana.
• Strolling through the cobblestone streets of UNESCO-listed Berat.
• Gjirokastër, the City of Stone, where many old houses still have flat stone roofs.
• Bunkerization: policy building bunkers to protect isolated Albania from enemies.

Once closed to the world, Albania is now turning into an exotic Eastern European destination.

Caught between a traumatic communist past and an uncertain future, Albania is undergoing major change. The transition has introduced a market economy, democracy, and greater contact with the international community. Yet the old system and habits continue to fight for relevance.

From the 1960s until 1985, hardline Stalinism policy of president Enver Hoxha turned Albania into the most isolated country in Europe.

He cut ties with the Soviet Union when Khrushchev launched his reforms. In 1968 he pulled Albania out of the Warsaw Pact and later broke with China following Nixon’s 1972 trip to Beijing.

I used these historical events as a good starting point when I finally decided to visit Albania on my Balkan trip, which also included Kosovo and Montenegro.

I started my Albania travel adventure by smoothly crossing the border from Montenegro and reached Shkodër, the country’s most historic city. Getting a 54-kilometer ride in an almost new Mercedes for just 5 euros was a great deal.

The driver reminded me of a mafia character from a Robert De Niro movie. With his short beard and cap, he could just as easily have passed for an imam. He greeted almost everyone who came across.

He used horns, hand signs, and flashing lights to greet almost every driver we passed. In this area, having a Mercedes brings a certain prestige.

Byzantine, Bulgar, Serbian, Turkish, Illyrian, and Austrian rulers controlled Shkodër until Albania reclaimed it in 1921. It seemed pretty calm during my visit. People moved around at a slow pace, smoking and drinking coffee in bars while watching the town’s activity.

It seemed pretty calm during my visit. People moved around at a slow pace, smoking and drinking coffee in bars while watching the town’s activity.

A beautiful statue of Saint Mother Teresa stands in the center near the Ebu Bekr Mosque, honoring her mission to help the poorest of the poor, especially in India. Mother Teresa was born in Kosovo, but her fathers’ family originates from Albania. Many people pay homage to this unique person by leaving flowers in front of the statue.

Shkodra Lake and Rozafa Castle surrounded by the Buna and Drin rivers are the two main attractions. Nevertheless, for me, the highlight was a hotel where I stayed.

I found a room in a socialist-era hotel, though it hardly feels like a hotel now. The elevators don’t work, there are no showers, and it’s hard to tell what the original paint color was.

The place is memorable if you imagine how it looked in the past, but a bit scary from today’s perspective. The staff were friendly and gave helpful tips about the city, though they didn’t say much about the hotel’s mysterious past.

My next stop was Lake Koman, a natural landmark surrounded by mountains. In order to navigate the lake, I boarded a daily ferry between the towns of Koman and Fierze.

The ferry ride took approximately two and a half hours. The vessel transports cars and passengers but does not offer luxury services. During my trip it was rather empty, so I’ve got all the attention from the crew and other people aboard.

After an hour smaller grassy hills turn into rocky mountains that raise out of turquoise lagoon hundreds of meters high. The sun was shining, and the view was calm and beautiful. From the pointed peaks, depressions formed in valleys, where small rocks slowly roll down towards the lake. I imagined how mountain peaks were covered with snow in the winter.

Lake Koman is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Albania, often compared to the Norwegian fjords.

Located in the center of Albania, only 30 minutes from the Mediterranean Sea, sprawls Tirana, the capital city of Albania. Influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate, it is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe.

In November 1944, communist forces liberated the city after a fierce battle with German troops. Nazis eventually withdrew from the country and the communists seized power.

Between 1944 and 1991, the city built big socialist-style apartments and factories. Historical Skanderbeg Square was also redesigned, and some old buildings were removed. Tirana’s former Old Bazaar and the Orthodox Cathedral were razed to the ground in order to build the Soviet-styled Palace of Culture. The regime renamed the northern boulevard Stalin Boulevard and erected his statue in the city square.

Since people were not allowed to own private cars, most transportation was by bicycles, trucks, and buses. After communist leader Enver Hoxha died, the government built a pyramid-shaped museum in his memory.

With political changes in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, significant demonstrations started by University of Tirana students demanding political freedoms.

Western figures began visiting the capital, including James Baker, Pope John Paul II, and especially Mother Teresa. She was the first religious figure to visit Albania after the country ended its long atheist policy.

In 2007 George W. Bush traveled to Tirana on an official state visit, becoming the first U.S. President to visit the former communist country. A street in the city center was named after him, and he was honored greatly.

Tirana still stays a rather small city with population just over half a million. A mixture of architectural styles reflects the influential periods of two totalitarian regimes in its history: Benito Mussolini during the Second World War and the regime of Enver Hoxha in the aftermath until the 1990s. If Mussolini brought Italian architects, communist system was influenced by Soviet regime and architecture.

In the 21^st century, Tirana evolved into a proper modernist city, characterized by large residential buildings, contemporary structures, new shopping centers and many green areas.

The central landmark of Tirana, the Pyramid, opened in 1988 as a museum honoring Enver Hoxha, who ruled Albania from 1944 to 1985. In 1991, after the fall of communism, it was turned into a conference and exhibition venue. During the 1999 Kosovo War, the former museum was used as a NATO base and humanitarian organizations.

Since 2001, part of the Pyramid has been used by Albanian media, while the rest has fallen into decay. The future is unclear. It is hard for the local community to honor such an important historical figure, but a modern Enver Hoxha museum could attract tourists and help the economy.

The Clock Tower, Et’hem Bey Mosque and the National History Museum are located in the area, that would become one of the biggest pedestrian zones in the Balkans. But it was not always like this. Skanderbeg Monument replaced a statue of Joseph Stalin in 1968, on the 500^th anniversary of the death of Skanderbeg, while Enver Hoxha monument was removed amid student-led demonstrations in the early 1990s.

I think this is a more reliable long-term solution. It gives a central role to an Albanian leader who resisted Ottoman rule.

During my 2010 visit, Skanderbeg Square was renovated and turned into a space for pedestrians and public transport only. The Skanderbeg Monument was surrounded by piles of sand, stones and excavators, which reorganized the central square and the surrounding area.

All in all, Tirana is a pleasant city, where the new wave of liberty, freedom and Western influence is the most visible.

Younger generation don’t live any different from the counterparts in Western Europe, but there are still many remains that remind on the socialist past of the country.

Hatred of the restrictive past system leads to the destruction of all symbols, legacies and lifestyle. After a few years or decades, museums, attractions and activities that expose brutal systems in a way to convert them as a main magnet for foreign visitors.

In 2010, Tirana was in a transition period. It was only a matter of time before entrepreneurs turned past symbols into marketable ideas.

My new friend, Amar, said socialism belongs to the past, and young people no longer talk about it.

“We want to live like people in the West or move there. There are no jobs, salaries are low and you need connections to get a good position,” he added.

A typical young person in modern Albania.

I carried on my Albania travel adventure with a visit to Berat, known for its historic charm.

Berat lies on the banks of the Osum River and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Its architecture shows influences from many civilizations living together for centuries. The ruins of a citadel surround terraced houses, churches, and mosques decorated with rich murals and frescoes.

Berat is beside Gjirokastër one of the main cultural centers of the country and a must place to visit.

Walking through colorful window-lined streets and climbing the castle was one of my favorite things to do in Berat. I ended my walks by relaxing in cafés, bars, and restaurants on Bulevardi Republika.

The City of a Thousand Windows rises along the hillside, where countless windows look toward the river and Byzantine walls.

I enjoyed wandering through the quiet residential quarter and getting lost in its cobblestone streets. At this time of year, I found few restaurants, shops, or visitors.

I didn’t see any other foreign visitors during my stay. The pedestrian street by the river became lively every evening, and I enjoyed people watching. The ice cream was okay, and the cheese burek was simple and cheap.

My Albania travel ended in Gjirokastër, the birthplace of Albania’s former communist leader, Enver Hoxha. The old town is a UNESCO site, known as a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town built by large estate owners.

Along with Berat, Gjirokastër was one of the few Albanian cities saved from modernization in the 1960s and 1970s.

I stayed in a renovated old-town building owned by a young Englishman named Matt. I could not understand why someone from the UK would invest so much in Albania.

After hearing his enthusiastic views on Albania’s development and tourism growth, I realized his passion for the country. Political and economic reforms also made the region appealing to him.

I was the only visitor that day, as late May was clearly not the main season.

Gjirokastër Castle overlooks the city and dominates the river valley below. Inside, the museum displays seized weapons, Communist resistance items used during German occupation, and a captured U.S. Air Force aircraft showcasing the regime’s struggle against the imperialist powers.

In recent years, people have rebuilt many traditional houses in Gjirokastër. The city council encouraged owners to return, boosting tourism and the local economy. So Matt was not the only one searching for new opportunities. Many small guesthouses and apartment buildings have been waiting for new guests, who visit the area predominantly in the summer.

Typical houses feature tall stone structures with four or five floors and internal staircases. The basement holds a cistern and stable, while upper floors include living rooms and family spaces linked by stairs.

Modern Albanian houses are usually large, with three floors for multiple generations. Even so, when extended family visits for holidays, the houses become too small.

One of Albania’s unique sights is concrete military bunkers, averaging nearly six per square kilometer. I could see them everywhere; mostly on the countryside, but also around big cities. Enver Hoxha’s Stalinist and anti-revisionist government built them from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their purpose was to defend Albania and its people from possible foreign invasions.

The program of bunkerization resulted in the construction of bunkers on every corner of the country, spending millions of dollars that could have been invested in basic infrastructure.

The bunkers were constructed of concrete, steel and iron. They ranged in size from one or two-person pillboxes with gun slits to large underground nuclear bomb shelters intended for use by the Party leadership and bureaucrats.

The most common type of bunker is a small concrete dome set into the ground with a circular bottom extending downwards. It is just big enough for one or two people to stand inside.

While driving around Albania, these were the only ones I actually saw.

The bunkers were never used for the original purpose. Most were abandoned following the dissolution of the communist government in 1992. People have recently turned them into homes, cafés, storage spaces, and shelters for animals or the homeless.

Albania is one of the fastest-changing countries in Europe, which makes sense given the extreme situation it faced in the 1990s after the Iron Curtain fell.

I visited Albania just in time to see it in transition. Albania features a rare combination of culture, history, and architecture not found elsewhere in Europe. Many original features remain, while Western lifestyles have not reached every corner.

I am convinced that in 10 to 15 years, Albania will be completely transformed. Albania’s travel industry will grow dramatically, attracting more international visitors.