Albania still remains a rather unique subject of travel writing today. In his new work, John Watkins uncovers the country’s communist past and its many legacies, comparing and contrasting his own visits to the nation across the decades.

Albania’s relationship with its communist past remains a difficult subject today. Often forgotten in the transition to democracy, these decades are remembered in different ways in the country’s museums. This article looks at how three institutions engage with this past, reflecting on their effectiveness and how they may ultimately preserve this historical memory for the future.

Historical narratives often treat a place as a witness to traumatic events. Three Tirana-based museums recounting difficult periods under Albania’s communist regime vividly illustrate this process. These include the National Historical Museum (1981), located in a building designed and designated as a cultural institution, Bunk'Art 1 and 2 (2014), located in authentic bomb shelters built as part of the “bunkerisation” of the 1970s, and the House of Leaves (2017), housed in a building that served as the headquarters of the Sigurimi state security service. Although they all depict the same story, each does so in a different way. The narrative is determined not only by the time the exhibit opened, but also by where it is displayed.

A response to defenders of Trump’s foreign policy in a region all too familiar with the meddling of great powers.

On May 6th, the EU held a virtual EU-Western Balkans summit. The COVID-19 response forced the summit to focus on aid and solidarity rather than on enlargement talks, but reforms in Albania still remained high on the agenda.

With a new enlargement strategy, the European Union gives itself more time while candidates and potential candidates claim a new chance to focus more seriously on upcoming reforms.

The integration hopes of the region have not fully faded, especially in Tirana, Albania – the winner of the title European Youth Capital (EYC) for 2022, which was announced Thursday.

A review of Błoto Słodsze Niż Miód. Głosy Komunistycznej Albanii (Mud is sweeter than honey. Voices in communist Albania). By: Małgorzata Rejmer. Publisher: Wydawnictwo Czarne, Wołowiec Poland, 2018.

Stalinist dogma called for socialist realist art that was meant to reproduce an enhanced (that is, unreal) reflection of the reality of “the people’s work and progress”. The stories of the pieces on display at a 2015 art exhibit in Tirana’s National Art Gallery demonstrate that socialist realist art was also quite prudish – but sometimes sexual, “anti-communist” art made it past the censors.

Albania is changing fast in the 21st century. At the same time a dictator's ghost seems near impossible to get rid of.

The EU enlargement process in the Balkans is slow. Even though there are positive signs from Brussels concerning Albanian accession, it seems as if quite a lot of work still remains.

This piece originally appeared in Issue 3/2017 of New Eastern Europe. Subscribe now.