Albania during Communism

Tirana 1970

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:51:27 GMT

source: Ylli numbers 2 and 12, 1970

Tirana city center from the air

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:21:54 GMT

Not the clearest photo, but the original was very small. It's an aerial view of Tirana's center, primarily the east side, looking west toward Skenderbeg Square. This was the primary shopping area of communist Tirana, with MAPO state stores in the three apartment buildings in the right/center of the photo, and other state-owned shops (there were no other kind) along the street running up and down in the center of the photo. The cirle at the bottom is now a market area, but collective farm markets were not allowed in Albania until the last few years of communist rule. In those years, the area had artisan workshops. The photo is from Ylli (The Star), December 1988.

Home Sweet Home

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:27:38 GMT

Inside an apartment from the communist years, from the book "Poem for the Albanian Woman" (with a heavy dose of propaganda in the introduction by Ismael Kadare's wife, Elena Kadare). It was published in 1972. Most of the photos were by Petrit Kumi.

MAPO stores in Tirana

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:23:11 GMT

The main MAPO stores were in the ground levels of these Enver-era skyscrapers. MAPO was the state-owned chain of shops during the Communist years. It was an acronym for Magazin Popullore (People's Store). If anyone has close-up photos or interior views of these MAPO stores, please email me at alphistia@yahoo.com. Falemniderit.

Tirana from the Air

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:48:25 GMT

Two aerial views of Tirana from the communist era - the western residential area in color from 1961 (from Ylli August 1961) and again but in black and white in 1970 (from New Albania magazine in 1970)

An aerial view from New Albania magazine in 1970 of central Tirana - this was before the construction of the History Museum.

Activist

Mon, 07 May 2007 23:25:45 GMT

Socialist Realism painting "Aksionisti" by Sali Shijaku.

Tirana Mosque

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:47:51 GMT

Skenderbeg Square has the Ethem Bey mosque at its southern end. Even during the terrible years after 1967 when Hoxha banned religion completely, this mosque wasn't desecrated. It was open as a museum. Now it is both a monument and used again for prayer.

Gjirokaster at night

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 05:07:09 GMT

Ammonia and nitrate production plant

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:52:57 GMT

I'm not sure where this factory was located. The photo comes from the book "Te Njohim Industrine Tone Kimike", by E. Shehu and R. Dhimitri, published in Albania in 1979. Like nearly all books published in Albania before 1991, the required quotation from Enver Hoxha appears on the first page of text. The rest of the book is a technical manual of some kind, with a few color photos such as the one above.

Factory in Kavaje

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 06:50:28 GMT

Albanian Industry

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 03:03:22 GMT

Like all communist regimes, the Albanians up until 1991 prominently featured photos of industrial sites in their magazines, newspapers, and even postcards. This postcard is of an industrial area in the city of Korce. It was used by an ordinary citizen as a New Year's greeting card in 1979, with the handwritten text: "Gezuore Vitim e Ri 1980." (Happy New Year 1980).

I'll be adding several other similar images. Albanian born Arian sent me an email asking if I had any such pictures. He has a blog about Albanian design at http://tirana-idc.blogspot.com

Berat

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 01:10:11 GMT

a postcard I found in Albania. I don't know who painted it, but I think it is pre-1991.

Road to Kruja

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:56:06 GMT

The road to Kruja is a long curving route through beautiful woods. In the distance, the town and the fortress.

Another view of Kruja

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 07:16:37 GMT

This is from the cafe of the Kruja Turizm hotel.

Kruja

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 03:29:50 GMT

About an hour north of Tirana is the old town of Kruja. It is beautifully situated high up on the side of a mountain, and on clear days, the Adriatic can be seen. The national hero of Albania - Skenderbeg, had a fortress here and defended the country against the invading Turks. The ruins can be seen in the distance, and next to it is the impressive Skenderbeg Museum. The museum was designed by Enver Hoxha's daughter, Pranvera.

Tirana University area and Blloku

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 03:26:10 GMT

(source: Tirana, 1990 photoalbum)

This view is the southern part of central Tirana, looking north toward Skenderbeg Square. The tower in the distance is the Tirana International Hotel. In the forground, the distinctive main university building is seen from the back. To its right are the Archaeology Museum and the Palace of Congresses. A bit further north, the pyramid shaped building is the former Enver Hoxha museum. On the left side of the photo is the Blloku area, which had the villas and apartment houses of high Party officials. Actually the villas of both Hoxha and Mehmet Shehu can be seen. The Central Committee building is the block amidst on the trees inthe center of the photo, just down that street (closed to all but VIPs) was the ostentatious villa of Mehmet Shehu (second in command who committed suicide, or some say -- was murdered in 1981). A bit further on, the squarish wing of Enver's compound can be seen. Now these buildings are surrounded by skyscrapers.

Pogradec

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 03:58:16 GMT

Aerial view of the town of Pogradec on Lake Ohrid. Postcard dates from the 1960s, probably.

Tirana Government Buildings

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 14:46:15 GMT

This is the southern part of the main boulevard of Tirana. In the distance is the University building. In the foreground are various government buildings, constructed in the 1930s. Even today with the heavy traffic, the trees along this street are beautiful and a walk here is a nice antidote to some of the more overwhelming parts of urban Tirana. This is a postcard from the late 1950s.

Kinkaleri

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 18:03:53 GMT

(source: "Human Rights in the People's Socialist Republic of Albania" vy Minnesota Lawyers International Human Rights Committee, 1990)

More or less the same view as the painting in the last entry, but taken during the late 1980s. The photographer is unknown, but this kind of photo from Albania was very rare. A large crowd of people are waiting in line to get into a fruit and vegetable store. Next to it, is a store marked "Kinkaleri", a kind of mini-variety shop.

Tirana painting

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 06:30:38 GMT

Postcard of painting by Albanian artist M. Arapi. The view is from the market toward Skenderbeg Square. Older buildings are in the foreground, surrounded by modern blocks that had some of Tirana's larger stores in their ground floors.

Heavy Traffic

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 03:21:38 GMT

(source: Gjeografia e Shqiperise 4)

The roads in Albania have never been very good, and got much much worse after the fall of communism with the rapid and explosive growth in traffic. Only in the last few years have road-building projects begun in earnest, and progress is now being made. Still there are plenty of roads all around the country like the one in this picture. Albanians are a bit shy about night driving, not because of crime, but because of the condition of most roads.

Tirana Circus entrance

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 05:48:34 GMT

Next to the circus entrance in the old Palace of Culture in Tirana is this artwork of circus performers. Must be from the 50s or early 60s. I took the photo during my visit in 2006.

Elbasan

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 22:12:36 GMT

Boulevard of new apartment houses in Elbasan. Photo is from the 1960s. The smoke in the distance is a little disturbing, but belching smokestacks were symbols of modernity and technologcial progress in communist Albania.

Fier

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 14:26:57 GMT

(source: Tourist Guide book of Albania - Albturist, 1969)

Fier's central square sometime in the 1960s. Fier is an industrial town in the southern part of Albania.

University of Tirana

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:37:54 GMT

(source: "Enver Hoxha University of Tirana 1957-1987", a book in English about the university, with color photos and descriptions of each faculty).

A photo of the main university building during the later part of the communist period. There are slogans all around the facade and the abbreviation for the Albanian Party of Labor (PPSH) at the top. Behind the building trees of the city's main park can be seen.