National History Museum and House of Leaves Tour in Tirana

About this tour

Discover Albanian History through the national history museum and the house of leaves tour

A tour of two of the most important objects/buildings in Tirana. Albania is known that is a country rich in history, however, it might not be known worldwide so we want to help you understand that Albania is an ancient country with new buildings but also traces of past civilizations. This country, once named Illyria is the country of the Albanoi tribe where it took its name from.

On this tour, we will introduce you to different periods of time. The National History Museum is rich in ancient artifacts which can show you the different time periods starting from the time of Julius Caesar to today. The museum is divided into three floors where major different exhibitions are held. The museum has an entire exhibition dedicated to communism because communism shaped Albania into what it is today.

What is the house of leaves about?

Since you will be able to learn about communism here, we want you to get into the depth of the history of communism in Albania by visiting one of the most beautiful places but also a place with a bleak past. If you walk by this building the door covered in painted leaves will attract your eye, but if you raise your head the green leafy trees are covering something that looks out of the ordinary in Tirana, a pink house whose walls are weary from time. This is the house of leaves.

A house that was built with the beautiful purpose of bringing life. A doctor years ago build this place as a NICU or a birth center, for the important people of Albania including queen Geraldine herself. Later on, when the communist party won over the country this house had another purpose.

The history of the house of leaves might seem dark but it is interesting and attracts a lot of visitors yearly. What happened to this beautiful building is that once it was declared state property it had the perfect position to be used as a Spy Intelligence Service facility. A unique place where you can hear the bitter truth about what was done during communist times. An interrogation and surveillance center in a country as small as Albania seems unnecessary and yet it was.

Here you can see the different methods that communists used to get out the truth from people, the ways they spied houses and families into their daily life, you will see the bugs that were put into houses and were connected to radios. You will see such technology that for the time being seemed impossible but it was true.  People felt unsafe to talk inside their houses, but also unsafe to speak with their friends because communism had divided them so much that a friend could be an enemy in a shake of a hand.

This house is a reflection of what humans are capable to do to each other, to what lengths they would undergo to be better into the eye of someone who is superior to them.

In my opinion, this house of 27 rooms each one with a different theme deserves n 11/10 and is a must when you visit Albania