ALBANIA – SHKODER

APRIL 22-24, 2025

Upon entering Shkoder, we saw a huge sculpture that was shaped like a giant key. It is aptly called the Albanian Key. Shkoder is one of the oldest and most historic cities in Albania and is known as the “cradle of Albanian culture”. The key signifies the city as a place of welcome, tolerance, and a crossroads to different cultures and religions.

The first place we stopped in Shkoder was the Venice Mask Factory. Amazingly, the world’s largest producer and supplier of Venetian and masquerade masks is not in Venice, but in Albania! Edmond Angoni, an Albanian artisan, emigrated to Italy in the 1990s to master the art of mask-making. He returned to Albania to set up shop in Shkodra.

The masks are all handcrafted using traditional papier mâché methods handed down from generation to generation. Although they have more than 2000 models, all of the masks are unique. Feathers, leather, gold and silver leaf and Swarovski crystals are all used to create individual works of art. Some designs are classic Venetian designs while others are more modern and contemporary. I tried one on and it was surprisingly soft and light. The special handcrafted papier-mache used by this factory has an elasticity which allows the mask to adapt to the wearer’s face.

They produce 20,000 masks a year! Many of the masks are exported and used by royalty, in films (like Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 film “Eyes Wide Shut” staring Tom Cruise), theatre and masquerade balls.

The factory employs local artisans. They also make period costumes.

We were given a tour of the workshop and museum. I was not allowed to take pictures in the workshop.

I went nuts taking pictures in the gift shop / museum.

After the mask factory we made our way to our Airbnb. Our hostess gave us excellent directions and even had a landmark to help us. NOTE TO AirBnB HOSTS: A landmark, like a blue bicycle with flowers in the basket, helps your guests A LOT!!

She also had little touches, like a fresh rose on each night stand, and a bowl of fresh fruit. There was a small outdoor alcove where we could enjoy the evening air and a refreshment. Did I give her 5 stars? YES!.

We parked out stuff and headed out to see Rozafa Castle. Although it sits on a rocky hill 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level, the walk was not that difficult. The hill was settled in the 4th-3^rd century BC, and has 2200 years of recorded history. As with most fortifications, this one was held siege, taken over and taken over yet again by various empires.

There is a legend that states that 3 brothers were trying to build the castle, but every night the walls they toiled to build all day collapsed. They asked a wise man for a solution to this dilemma. The wise man said they must sacrifice one of their wives and have her buried alive within the walls. This will allow the foundations to stay forever. (Why is it always a woman sacrificed?) They decided that which ever wife brought them lunch the next day would be the one. Although they swore to not tell their wives the plan, only the youngest husband kept his word. When the other wives refused to bring the lunch the next day, the youngest, Rozafa, volunteered.

When she was told what the deal was, she did not protest. However, she had one request. Concerned for her infant son, she requested that her right eye, arm, foot and breast not be covered. In this way she could comfort him with her eye, cradle him with her arm, put him to sleep with her foot and feed him with her breast.

To this day the native milkweed and white milk-coloured stalactites are “proof” that Rozafa’s milk still flows in the walls she sacrificed herself to preserve.

In reality, the walls are crumbling and there was not much “castle” remaining.

There was a museum that housed artifacts.

From the castle we made our way to the Site of Witness and Memory. The building was first erected in the 19^th century as a college for training parish priests. The communists confiscated the building in 1946 and used it as an interrogation centre and pre-trial detention centre, ie: torture and abuse. It is now a site of remembrance for the victims of the communist regime. There is no gentle build up to the horrors that this place witnessed. The entrance hall had facts and numbers boldly presented, so as not to confuse any nay-sayers. 2890 imprisoned, 1924 interned, 601 shot, 61 clerics killed, 136 tortured to death, 2169 places of worship either destroyed or repurposed for government use.

There was an entire room with pictures of people executed or missing, photos of the Albanian clergy who were imprisoned or executed, citizens were were imprisoned or suffered in prison camps, all because they held to their beliefs and moral integrity. Another room had an audio-visual presentation, but it was in Albanian and we could not understand.

We passed through a gallery with blood-red arches. Between the arches was placards with more history about the communist regime and the reign of terror with which it blanketed the country.

Further along and around the corner the walls were intentionally fractured and cracked. It was a hint at what was ahead.

The next room had personal artifacts, documents and photographs from former prisoners or their families.

Past this were 23 tiny pre-trial holding cells that had tiny holes that allowed minimal light, where prisoners were kept and tortured until their initial trial appearance. They were kept in their original state, giving us a glimpse into the inhumane conditions the prisoners were kept.

The Tortures Room was rebuilt according to former prisoners recollections. It was were the most severe tortures were inflicted. Some prisoners held out to their death, others signed whatever was placed in front of them, falsely accusing themselves or friends.

There was a small courtyard where prisoners were allowed a breath of fresh air. It gave me the creeps as I imagined they also were executed against the brick walls.

Enough of the morbid!

Near out guesthouse was a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants.

It was pleasant to walk through and take in some of the wall murals.

We walked past, but did not enter, the Cathedral of Nativity of Christ,

Ebu Bekr Mosque,

and St. Francis Church.

OTHER NOTABLE THINGS:

Due to the abundance of fresh veggies, we tended to make a lot of Greek Salad. When asking for feta cheese, we were asked if we wanted cow, goat, or sheep feta. Duh,,,,,, We learned, the hard way, to get the mid-ranged feta. Sheep was better than cow.

We were off to Sarajevo….