Pyramid of Tirana

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Pyramid of Tirana in mid-2014

The Pyramid of Tirana (officially International Cultural Center , Albanian Qendra Ndërkombëtare e Kulturës ; often short The Pyramid , Albanian Piramida ) is a building opened on October 16, 1988 in downtown Tirana in Albania . The building was originally dedicated to the dictator Enver Hoxha , who died in 1985, as the Enver Hoxha Museum .

The building made of white marble, glass and red steel, reminiscent of a pyramid at first glance and therefore usually also called that, was designed by Hoxha's daughter Pranvera and planned and built in two years.

The pyramid is in a very central location on the splendid boulevard Dëshmorët e Kombit and the Lana in a small park. The building, which was monumental for the time, shaped the center of the city for a long time due to its size and idiosyncratic appearance and was an expression of the personality cult around Hoxha. At the beginning of the building there was an illuminated red star , from which red light was emitted by spotlights along the facade. The facade was clad with light marble slabs - later a popular slide with children .

The museum's exhibition showed the life of Enver Hoxha and his influence on recent Albanian history on three floors. There were many photos on display, but also vehicles that he owned, for example. New for the time - in Albania - were the extensively presented film material and an attached computer documentation center. There was also a small library and a café in the house.

"Before February 1991, it contained more or less everything that Hoxha ever touched or used, and in the center was a sitting marble statue of Hoxha by Kristaq Rama."

“Before February 1991 it contained more or less everything Hoxha had ever touched or used. And in the middle was a seated marble statue of Hoxha, which Kristaq Rama had designed. "

- James Pettifer
The pyramid is surrounded by a small park.

After the end of the communist regime in Albania , the museum, memorial for the ex-dictator, was converted: Officially called the International Cultural Center , it served as a conference and exhibition center for various occasions. It also housed offices of international organizations, a bar and a disco. In 2000, a peace bell was erected in the park in front of the building, which was cast from cartridge cases collected in Albania and commemorates the unrest in 1997 .

Future of the building

In December 2010, the parliament approved a building project with 71 to 64 votes, which provides for the demolition of the building and the construction of the new parliament building, for which a total of 25 architects' offices had competed. The marble slabs on the facade had already been removed beforehand. However, a political controversy arose over the demolition: Some leading architects from abroad and politicians from the opposition socialists did not agree. The historian Ardian Klosi was able to collect around 6,000 signatures with a petition to prevent demolition. But for the time being, the government stuck to its plan. The tender for the 110 million euro project was won in March 2011 by the Viennese architecture studio Coop Himmelb (l) au . The new building was to be completed on November 28, 2012 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Principality of Albania . The construction work never began.

When the socialists came to power in September 2013, the realization of the project became uncertain. Instead, the socialist government under Edi Rama is now planning to renovate and convert the building. The pyramid should continue to be recognizable as such. A Chinese architecture firm won the tender for the project in October 2014. In August 2015, the building was given a new coat of paint.

In December 2016, the property together with the building, previously owned by the government, became the property of the Tirana municipality. In the summer of 2017, Mayor Erion Veliaj announced the final decision to transform it into a youth center. On this occasion he described the property as one of the most valuable in Tirana.

Web links

Commons : Pyramid of Tirana  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Renate Stecay: The Enver Hoxha Museum . In: German-Albanian Friendship Society (Hrsg.): Albanische Hefte . Volume 16, No. 4 , 1988, ISSN  0930-1437 , pp. 12-13 .
  2. ↑ a b c d James Pettifer: Albania & Kosovo - Blue Guide . A & C Black, London 2001, ISBN 0-7136-5016-8 .
  3. ^ Rainer Mayerhofer: Albania before the turning point . In: Adolph Stiller (Ed.): Tirana . Architecture in the Ringturm XXII. Müry Salzmann Verlag, Salzburg / Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-99014-030-7 , p. 58-64 .
  4. ↑ The useless mausoleum of Tirana. Frankfurter Allgemeine, November 3, 2011, accessed on September 16, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Juria ndërkombëtare dhe votat elektronike të opinionit shqiptar, shpallin project in fitues për Kompleksin e ri MP. parlament.al, March 24, 2011, archived from the original on January 12, 2012 ; Retrieved August 27, 2011 (Albanian).
  6. ↑ Tiranë: Projekti fitues për Kuvendin e ri. In: youtube.com. March 24, 2011, accessed August 27, 2011 (project video).
  7. ↑ Do të restaurohet piramida në Tiranë (video). Facti News, October 4, 2014, archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; Retrieved March 29, 2015 (Albanian).
  8. ↑ Besar Likmeta: Riparimet e bashkisë tek Piramida Jane tė paligjshme (dokumenti). In: Lapsi.al. BIRN , August 27, 2015, archived from the original on August 28, 2015 ; Retrieved August 27, 2015 (Albanian).
  9. ↑ Rexhina Biba: Piramida kalon në të pronësi bashkisë, kthehet në Qendër shumëfunksionale. In: 27.al. December 7, 2016, accessed January 17, 2018 (Albanian).
  10. ↑ Konfirmohet projekti, yes çfarë do të ndodhë me Piramiden në Tiranë. In: gazetaexpress.com. July 4, 2017, Retrieved January 17, 2018 (Albanian).

Coordinates: 41 ° 19 ′ 22.9 ″  N , 19 ° 49 ′ 17.6 ″  E