Communist-Era Statues

Giant Communist-era statues and busts that were once situated in the main squares of Tirana, the Albanian capital, are now relegated to a small courtyard behind the National Art Gallery. There you will find bronze statues of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin (which are very rare to find), a Miner, a Girl Soldier, a Rifleman, and a marble bust of the former Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, among others. 

As of April 2023, the statues have been separated and moved due to construction to the National Art Gallery and surrounding area. The Hoxha statue and the miner are on the immediate South side of the art installation The Cloud, behind the construction line. The miner’s axe is visible from the adjacent sidewalk. The Hoxha statue is covered in green netting to protect it from construction work, but it can also be seen from the sidewalk.

The statues of Stalin and Lenin have been moved to the front yard of the former residence of Communist Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu. The building is currently owned by the Albania government, and access is not permitted to the public. However, the statues (particularly the one of Stalin) can be seen through the residence gate from the west side of Ismail Qemali Park.