Ethnographic Museum
A house-museum displaying centuries-old furnishings, clothing, and other
material culture. Kruja itself is a wonderful place to visit as well,
with the weaving shops, the Skanderbeg Museum, the cobblestone roads,
and the view to the coast on a clear day. Kruja is known as "the
balcony of the Balkans." Eat at the Restaurant Turist, which is much
better than the name implies.
Archeological Museum (Muzeu Arkeologjik)
Archeology buffs who aren't satisfied by the finds on display at the
National History Museum will find even more fragments of various finds
here, from pottery and animal statuettes to arrowheads and jewellery.
Fine Arts Gallery (Galleria e Arteve)
Thoroughly looted in 1997, this gallery has seen a comeback since mayor
Edi Rama's election, and now hosts a varied collection that's worth browsing
through for an hour. Apart from an impressive selection of medieval icons,
there's a good hall devoted to realist socialist art, with busts, paintings
and a very sexy statue of a factory worker (more Commie-era statues can
be found near the cafe in the garden). Open 09:00 - 12:00, 16:00
- 19:00. Closed Mon.
Admission 100 lek, Sunday free.
National History Museum
You can't miss the gargantuan mosaic on the facade - it represents the
development of Albania's history with everyone from Illirians to partisans
represented. Inside, each hall of this vast building covers one of the
stages in the development of the Albanian nation. There are some English
texts in the museum, but certainly not enough, so bring an Albanian for
a better understanding of what's on show. The museum shop is an excellent
place to shop for traditional crafts.
www.albania.co.uk/main/museum.html
Open 09:00 - 12:00, 17:00 - 19:00. Admission 300 lek.
Natural Sciences Museum (Museu i Shkencave Të Natyrës)
This small collection includes lots of stuffed animals (not the cuddly
ones but the taxidermic kind), birds and various strange sea creatures,
including the biggest sea turtle ever found in Albania. |
