Communist-Era Statues – Tirana, Albania - Atlas Obscura
Communist-Era Statues is permanently closed.

Communist-Era Statues

Bronzes and busts that once stood in the city's main squares are now relegated to a small hidden courtyard. 

154
180
This entry is a stub
Help improve Atlas Obscura by expanding Communist-Era Statues with additional information or photos.

Giant Communist-era statues and busts that were once situated in the main squares of Tirana, the Albanian capital, are now relegated to a small courtyard behind the National Art Gallery. There you will find bronze statues of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin (which are very rare to find), a Miner, a Girl Soldier, a Rifleman, and a marble bust of the former Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, among others. 

As of April 2023, the statues have been separated and moved due to construction to the National Art Gallery and surrounding area. The Hoxha statue and the miner are on the immediate South side of the art installation The Cloud, behind the construction line. The miner’s axe is visible from the adjacent sidewalk. The Hoxha statue is covered in green netting to protect it from construction work, but it can also be seen from the sidewalk.

The statues of Stalin and Lenin have been moved to the front yard of the former residence of Communist Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu. The building is currently owned by the Albania government, and access is not permitted to the public. However, the statues (particularly the one of Stalin) can be seen through the residence gate from the west side of Ismail Qemali Park.

Know Before You Go

Access is from the right side of the National Art Gallery behind the main building.

Community Contributors
Added by

June 22, 2019
May 4, 2023

Make an Edit Add Photos
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web