Shkoder Historical Museum

The Shkodra Historical Museum (Muzeu Historik I Shkodrs) was formed in 1949 and is based on collections acquired by Jesuits and Franciscan monks at the end of the nineteenth century, as well as private collections contributed by Shkodra households. The museum is situated in the huge family home of Osa Kuka, a rich middle-class businessman, from the nineteenth century.

The house is almost as intriguing as the museum: it’s a typical merchant’s mansion, encircled by defensive walls, attesting to Shkodra’s importance as a major commercial city along the old trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and Kosovo. The Osa Kuka was built in 1815 and has been restored to its original condition.

The museum has elegant guest rooms on the inside, as well as a subterranean archeological display including an early Christian Plate of David and items from the Greek and Roman eras. A Roman burial and a Venetian stone well may also be seen in the garden.