Best Museums of Shkodra
If we were to give a full account of Albania’s history, culture, folk traditions, and art, Shkodra would most definitely lead the discussion. The 2500-year-old city holds traces of each historic period of the country! Otherwise known as the capital of northern Albania, Shkodra beautifully preserves the country’s heritage in its countless museums. We list the top ones to visit below:
The artsy Kolë Idromeno Street is the ideal location for preserving the invaluable treasures left to us from the Marubi Dynasty: 500 thousand photographic negatives, documents, registers, objects, telegrams, cameras and more. With a 160-year history, this museum is the oldest cultural institution in the country. The visitor experiences photographs taken way back during the Ottoman Empire, the period of King Zog I, all the way to the Communist era. The masterful photographs, taken by Pjetër Marubi and his successors, have captured daily life, traditions and culture, prominent historical figures, places and irreversible moments of national history.
Marubi National Photography Museum, Shkodra, photo by IntoAlbania.
Situated within the traditional house of national hero Oso Kuka, this intimate museum attracts crowds of curious visitors. In addition to showcasing a typical Shkodra residence, the Oso Kuka Museum is an institution that supports history students and researchers. Here, you will find treasures that span hundreds of years, all seamlessly organized in the museum’s archaeological, historical and ethnographic sections.
House of Oso Kuka, Shkodra, photo by IntoAlbania.
Solely dedicated to the crimes against humanity committed during the Communist period, this museum includes painful and revelatory materials of the time, such as torture, tapping and investigation mechanisms as well as an entire history of persecution, expulsion, isolation and a variety of punishments for those who dared speak against the regime. The numerous victims of the regime, a list which most notably includes intellection and clerics, are also commemorated on this former prison site. Much of this site is left unchanged in order to properly convey the painful history of the imprisoning space. Narrow hallways, dungeons, handcuffs, ropes, document, former prisoners’ writings on the wall, all of these elements make this museum one of the most haunting in the country.
The Museum of Witness and Memory, photo by IntoAlbania.
It was in a small village named Kukël, situated between Shkodra and Lezha, that the great Albanian poet Ndre Mjeda wrote his unforgettable verse. A renowned scholar, philosopher and cleric, you feel Mjeda’s presence and understand his influence as soon as you enter his former house. This house-museum belongs to the neoclassical architectural style and includes images and engravings of Illyrian tribes and various martyrs on its walls. Inside, you will find his writing table and pen, where Mjeda completed his masterpieces, notably Andrra e jetës (“The Dream of Life”), Kënga e Bilbilit (“The Nightingale’s Song”) and Gjuha Shqipe (“The Albanian Language”).
“Ndre Mjeda” Center, Shkodra, photo by IntoAlbania.
Proud and lofty, rising high above Shkodra, Rozafa Castle, named after the self-sacrificial mother of the famed Albanian legend, greets you as soon as you enter the city. In addition to the many illustrations of its legend and respective history, the castle also holds within it the Historical Museum. Here, you can become acquainted with the various historical periods of Shkodra through fascinating objects and documents exhibited in the museum’s space. The most impressive and photographed object of the museum is Skënder Kraja’s bas-relief which beautifully tells the story of the castle’s creation.
Bass Relief of Razafa nourishing her child, Rozafa Casle, Shkodra, photo by Intoalbania.
This site is dedicated to the history of Catholicism, but not only. The country’s dark Communist years, especially felt in Catholic cities like Shkodra, are reflected in countless images, engravings, statues and many other select objects. Along with beautiful objects like the church bell and traditional costumes, the museum also has a special space dedicated to the 38 Albanian martyrs who died during this time and were ultimately declared saints by Pope Francis.
Lady of Good Counsel painting, at the Museum of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shkodër, photo by IntoAlbania.
Marubi National Photography Museum, Shkodra, photo by IntoAlbania.
Situated within the traditional house of national hero Oso Kuka, this intimate museum attracts crowds of curious visitors. In addition to showcasing a typical Shkodra residence, the Oso Kuka Museum is an institution that supports history students and researchers. Here, you will find treasures that span hundreds of years, all seamlessly organized in the museum’s archaeological, historical and ethnographic sections.
House of Oso Kuka, Shkodra, photo by IntoAlbania.
Solely dedicated to the crimes against humanity committed during the Communist period, this museum includes painful and revelatory materials of the time, such as torture, tapping and investigation mechanisms as well as an entire history of persecution, expulsion, isolation and a variety of punishments for those who dared speak against the regime. The numerous victims of the regime, a list which most notably includes intellection and clerics, are also commemorated on this former prison site. Much of this site is left unchanged in order to properly convey the painful history of the imprisoning space. Narrow hallways, dungeons, handcuffs, ropes, document, former prisoners’ writings on the wall, all of these elements make this museum one of the most haunting in the country.
The Museum of Witness and Memory, photo by IntoAlbania.
It was in a small village named Kukël, situated between Shkodra and Lezha, that the great Albanian poet Ndre Mjeda wrote his unforgettable verse. A renowned scholar, philosopher and cleric, you feel Mjeda’s presence and understand his influence as soon as you enter his former house. This house-museum belongs to the neoclassical architectural style and includes images and engravings of Illyrian tribes and various martyrs on its walls. Inside, you will find his writing table and pen, where Mjeda completed his masterpieces, notably Andrra e jetës (“The Dream of Life”), Kënga e Bilbilit (“The Nightingale’s Song”) and Gjuha Shqipe (“The Albanian Language”).
“Ndre Mjeda” Center, Shkodra, photo by IntoAlbania.
Proud and lofty, rising high above Shkodra, Rozafa Castle, named after the self-sacrificial mother of the famed Albanian legend, greets you as soon as you enter the city. In addition to the many illustrations of its legend and respective history, the castle also holds within it the Historical Museum. Here, you can become acquainted with the various historical periods of Shkodra through fascinating objects and documents exhibited in the museum’s space. The most impressive and photographed object of the museum is Skënder Kraja’s bas-relief which beautifully tells the story of the castle’s creation.
Bass Relief of Razafa nourishing her child, Rozafa Casle, Shkodra, photo by Intoalbania.
This site is dedicated to the history of Catholicism, but not only. The country’s dark Communist years, especially felt in Catholic cities like Shkodra, are reflected in countless images, engravings, statues and many other select objects. Along with beautiful objects like the church bell and traditional costumes, the museum also has a special space dedicated to the 38 Albanian martyrs who died during this time and were ultimately declared saints by Pope Francis.
Lady of Good Counsel painting, at the Museum of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shkodër, photo by IntoAlbania.