Site of Witness and Memory Museum

Museum in Shkodër

CC BY-SA 4.0 / Spasblag

The Site of Witness and Memory Museum (Vendi i Dëshmisë dhe Kujtimit) is one of the most powerful and emotionally charged places to visit in Shkodër. It is the only memorial in the city dedicated to the victims of the communist regime, many of whom suffered persecution for their religious faith, political beliefs, and moral integrity. Located in the restored premises of the former Dega e Brendshme (local branch of the Ministry of Interior), this museum stands as a reminder of Shkodër's tragic role as one of the main centers of communist repression in Albania — the same city that, during the Cultural Revolution of 1967, hosted an “Atheist Museum” promoting anti-religious propaganda.

The museum occupies a building that once served as an interrogation and detention center. Its most haunting spaces are the original pre-trial holding cells, tiny rooms with narrow openings for light, grimly referred to as “holes.” In these oppressive spaces, prisoners were held and tortured before being brought to trial. The ground floor retains the oldest and most authentic cells, where most political prisoners were confined. Adjacent to these is a courtyard, once used as the limited outdoor space for detainees, and a small door that led directly into the interrogation offices of the Dega e Brendshme — a passage symbolic of the terror that took place within these walls.

Visitors today pass through a newly built gallery designed to evoke the pain and silence of those years, leading into an exhibition room that displays objects used and crafted in prison, as well as letters exchanged between inmates and their families. These items were donated by former political prisoners and their families, giving the exhibits a deeply personal authenticity. A striking glass panel in the room presents original state documents that expose the brutality of the regime and its systematic persecution of Shkodër's citizens.

The museum also features an audiovisual room, where visitors can watch documentary footage about the period, and a small library dedicated to prison literature, curated with help from the Institute for the Study of Communist Crimes and Consequences in Albania. More than a museum, the Site of Witness and Memory is a moral and educational space, dedicated to preserving the truth of Albania's totalitarian past and to reminding younger generations of the value of freedom, faith, and conscience. Its mission is to ensure that the suffering of those who endured persecution is not forgotten — and that such oppression is never repeated.

The Site of Witness and Memory Museum appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Shkodër!

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