Witness and Memory Monument

The Site of Witness and Memory is the sole monument in Shkodra dedicated to the victims of the communist government.

This museum highlights the stories of those who suffered for their beliefs and moral integrity, since it is one of Albania’s primary sites of Communist persecution and the place where an Atheist Museum with anti-religious propaganda was erected following the Cultural Revolution of 1967.

It was reconstructed in the old Dega e Brendshme region (local branches of the Ministry of Interiors). The original pre-trial holding cells with a tiny aperture for natural light, known as holes (because to their small size and lack of light), where inmates were held and tortured before their first trial appearance are the most intriguing portion.

This facility is separated into two levels, with the ground-floor cells being the oldest and housing the majority of political prisoners.

There is a courtyard beside the cells where convicts were housed during their out-of-cell time. A tiny door connecting the jail area to the neighboring offices of Dega e Brendshme, where the most horrific tortures were performed, may also be found here.

The path to the cells is via a freshly constructed gallery with items that represent torture and suffering. An exhibition room featuring things used and created in jail, manuscripts, and letter-writing between convicts and their families is located at the end of this gallery.

Former political prisoners and their families have contributed this little collection. The glass panel in this area, which displays historical papers detailing the regime’s cruelty and force against the people of Shkodra, is of particular interest.

The Institute for Communism Crimes and Consequences in Albania also has an audio-visual area where you may see some historical film materials as well as a small library with prison literature.

Our goal is to develop a collective memory of the past and to reach out to a new generation that needs to be conscious of previous errors and never repeat them.