National History Museum

The National History Museum (Albanian: Muzeu Historik Kombëtar) is a historical museum in Tirana, Albania. It was opened on 28 October 1981.

The National Historical Museum, Albania’s most significant museum, strives to educate and inspire the local, national, and worldwide audience about Albania’s history. It also aims to promote citizen dialogue about Albania’s past, present, and future. To that end, it preserves and studies material and immaterial evidence of Albania’s historical and cultural heritage, which is communicated and introduced in an educational environment. It also organizes and facilitates events that contribute to its vision and goal.
The National Historical Museum building has a total area of 27,000 m2, a display area of 18,000 m2, and a total volume of 81,000 m3. The museum’s collection has over 6,200 pieces spanning a relatively long period of time, from the fourth millennium BC to the second part of the twentieth century.

Above the museum’s entrance is a massive fresco mosaic named The Albanians, which represents claimed ancient to present Albanian personalities. The pavilions of the museum are as follows: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Independence, Iconography, National Liberation Antifascist War, Communist Terror, and Mother Teresa.

Pavilions

Antiquity

The Pavilion of Antiquity is the most important and houses a rich collection of archaeological artifacts: Prehistoric Antiquities, the Sculptures Collection, the Vase and Minor Objects Collection, Illyrian, Greek, and Roman coins, representing a long period of time, from Prehistory to Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The actual catalogue includes a corpus of objects of exceptional artistic, aesthetic, and historical value, masterpieces from the Pavilion of Antiquity, in an effort to concisely present the history and to demonstrate the growth and development of Illyrian cities between the 4th and 2nd centuries AD.

The bulk of the chosen pieces include relief and round sculpture, burial stele, as rare evidence of high level local workmanship and production, such as the sphinx-shaped foot of a vessel created in Antigonea’s blacksmith workshops, which also provides epigraphic data.

With 585 pieces, the Pavilion of Antiquity is the most significant and one of the largest in the National Historical Museum. The artifacts on display begin in the Late Paleolithic, when ancient civilisation was active and strong in these regions, and culminate with artefacts from the Early Middle Ages (4th to 8th centuries). The artefacts of the Maliq ancient village indicate the Neolithic prosperity that lasted from the middle of the fourth century until about 2600 BC.

The objects on display, as well as the silver and bronze coins embossed on behalf of the Illyrian kings of the centers of Durrs, Apollonia, Shkodr, Byllis, and Amantia, discovered in the provinces of South Illyria between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, indicate a strong economy and urban Illyrian culture in general. The sculptures of the Apolloniates school or God Apollo, one of the most exquisite sculptures of the period, are impressive (6th century BC). The mosaic of The Beauty of Durrs (4th century BC), the head of Artemis (3rd century BC), the anthropomorphic aspect of the river Vjosa (3rd or 2nd century BC), the head of a man of limestone (5th century AD), jugs adorned with red figures, and other items are particularly fascinating. The discoveries of the Monumental Tomb of Lower Selca, Pogradec (3rd century AD) are significant.

Middle Ages

Visitors to the Pavilion of the Middle Ages may learn about the economic, social, political, and cultural history of Albanians from the sixth to the fifteenth centuries. This pavilion has a unique section devoted to the Principality of Arber. The shift of authority from Skuraj to Topiaj is symbolized by Karl Topia’s heraldic insignia, which can be seen in the monumental doorway of the monastery of John Vladimir in Elbasan. The Epitaph of Gllavenica, which dates from 1373, is a noteworthy artefact in the Pavilion of the Middle Ages. With photos, documents, and objects, the visitor learns about Albanians’ resistance to Ottoman occupation, as well as key economic developments, political and social life in the country. Through maps, engravings from the time, and quite original publications, the visitor meets Skanderbeg, who personifies the Albanians’ struggle against Ottoman occupation.

Albanian National Renaissance

The Renaissance Pavilion is one of the most extensive in terms of authentic artefacts, papers, books, pictures, national flags, weaponry, money, and other cultural items. The majority of the objects are unique to Albanian history and culture. Objects shown in the pavilion’s exhibits between the mid-nineteenth century and 1912. The flag of the patriotic Society “Desire” of the Albanian colony of Sofia in Bulgaria is a national treasure. Visitors have the chance to examine attentively the desk and book collection of one of the most renowned ideologists of Albanian national ideology, Sami Frasheri (1825-1904).

Independence

The Pavilion of Independence depicts significant historical events from the Declaration of Independence in 1912 through 1939. The Declaration (Proclamation) of Independence of Albania issued by the National Assembly of Vlora on November 28, 1912, and the following foundation of the Provisional Government of Albania are two significant actions of the Albanian national state. The Conference of Ambassadors in London is reflected in the regions of this pavilion (1912-1913). The brief reign of Prince Wied in Albania in 1914 was a watershed point in the history of the founding of the Albanian state. The political tensions between the country’s ruling class culminated in the June 1924 movement headed by Fan Noli. In one of the pavilion’s regions is a space devoted to Fan S. Noli’s patriotic effort as one of the greatest characters in the history of the Albanian country and state in the twentieth century.

Albanian Iconography

This pavilion has a collection of 70 Post-Byzantine art pieces from Albania, including icons, a proskynetarion, a pair of Holy Doors, and an iconostasis. These items belonged to several churches in Albania, including Gjirokastra, Elbasani, Fieri, and Berati, and dated from the 16th to the early 19th centuries. Almost all of the finest artists from Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece, such as Onufri, Onufr Qiprioti, David Selenica, Kostandin Shpataraku, Kostandin Jeromonaku, the Zografi brothers, the etiri brothers, and Mihal Anagnosti, are represented in this pavilion. The iconostasis (icon-adorned altar screen) is from the church of the monastery of Saint John Vladimir in Elbasan.

Antifascist War

This pavilion commemorating the anti-fascist war.

Through its 220 objects, this pavilion depicts events from the War of Vlora in 1920 to the end of World War II in 1945. It depicts the response of prominent Albanian intellectuals in the 1920s and 1930s to fascism’s ascent to power in Italy. The pavilion depicts the events that followed the establishment of the fascist administration in Albania on 7 April 1939 and the commencement of organized antifascist resistance. This pavilion also honors the Albanian volunteers who fought in the War of Spain. There are also numerous relics from national martyrs and heroes who died fighting Fascism and Nazism. The contributions of the strong (British, Soviet, and American) allies and their operations in Albania have received special attention. There are other papers in this pavilion that illustrate Albania’s assistance, sheltering, and protection of the Jewish community throughout the Holocaust, demonstrating the Albanian people’s strong compassion.

Communist Terror

In 2012, the Pavilion of Communist Terror was dedicated. Documents, images, and items from Albania’s one-party rule from 1945 to 1990 are on exhibit in this pavilion. This pavilion’s historical material is enhanced with film pictures donated by the Central Film Archives. The documentary and photographic materials depicting the cleaning operations against anticommunist forces, a special court against political opponents throughout the conflict, and the annihilation of the anticommunist resistance are an essential component of the Pavilion. Relics belonging to countless people sentenced or killed by the authorities of the period are shown in the exhibits.

Mother Teresa

This pavilion honors Mother Teresa’s family, life, and work. Visitors are familiar with her charity activities, for which she has received several international accolades. Photos of worldwide figures who met Mother Teresa, such as Jacques Chirac, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Ibrahim Kodra, and others, may be found at the pavilion’s stands. Without a doubt, the personal things she utilized pique the interest of thousands of visitors to the National History Museum.