The National History Museum on Skanderbeg Square, Albania’s largest museum, closed for a full renovation in March 2024 and isn’t expected to reopen until 2028. You can’t go inside, but its giant façade mosaic, The Albanians, has been restored and is one of the most photographed sights in Tirana.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Where | Sheshi Skënderbej 7, north side of Skanderbeg Square (Google Maps) |
| Status | Closed for renovation until about 2028 |
| See instead | The facade mosaic (free, any time) and the National Archaeological Museum |
The mosaic: The Albanians
The mosaic above the entrance was installed in 1981 and covers about 565 square meters, bigger than a basketball court. It shows figures from Albanian history in a single sweep, from an Illyrian warrior and medieval fighters through the national awakening of the 19th century to partisans of the Second World War. It was designed by five leading artists of the time: Vilson Kilica, Josif Droboniku, Agim Nebiu, Anastas Kostandini and Aleksandër Filipi.
This mosaic is one of the finest examples of late Albanian socialist realism, a popular form of art during the country’s Communist period. Look behind the woman at the center: a large gold-rimmed red star used to sit behind her head, and a smaller one above the eagle on the flag. Both were removed in the early 1990s, after the fall of communism.
After the 2019 earthquake damaged the building, the EU-funded EU4Culture program restored the mosaic over 22 months. Conservators documented it tile by tile, and new glass tesserae were ordered from the same Venetian workshop that made the originals 40 years earlier. It was unveiled again in May 2023.
What’s normally inside
The museum opened in 1981 and normally covers Albanian history from prehistory to the communist era across several pavilions: Antiquity (the richest, with hundreds of Illyrian and Greco-Roman objects), the Middle Ages, the National Renaissance, Independence, Iconography, the anti-fascist war, Communist Terror and a pavilion dedicated to Mother Teresa.
The renovation
The current work, also run under EU4Culture with the Ministry of Culture, is the first full overhaul since the museum opened. The plan is to repair the building and redesign the exhibitions to modern international standards, so expect a very different museum when it reopens.
FAQ
Is the National History Museum in Tirana open?
No. It closed on 15 March 2024 and is scheduled to reopen in 2028.
What is the mosaic on the National History Museum called?
It’s called The Albanians (sometimes just “the mosaic of Tirana”), created in 1981 and restored in 2023.
