Enver Hoxha Mausoleum

Coordinates: 41°19′24.2796″N 19°49′16.485″E / 41.323411°N 19.82124583°E / 41.323411; 19.82124583

The building in 2000

The building in 2003

Enver Hoxha Mausoleum (Albanian: Piramida) is a former mausoleum in Tirana, Albania. This pyramid-shaped structure was designed by the daughter and son-in-law of the late communist leader Enver Hoxha. It was supposed to end up a museum about his legacy (in addition to his mausoleum), but became a conference center and party venue.

During the 1999 Kosovo War, the mausoleum was used as a base by NATO and other international humanitarian organizations.^[1]

The 17,000 meters square complex will be destroyed so that the new Albanian parliament may be built on its place.^[2][3][4] Some leading foreign architects have opposed such a move while other supported it. Historian Ardian Klosi has initiated a petition not to demolish the structure with around 6000 signatures. Prior to being designated as the seat of the Albanian parliament, the structure was originally supposed to be turned into an opera theater, but construction works were mysteriously halted.^[5]

The surrounding space is currently being used as a parking lot, and bus station for mini vans to Elbasan.

References

1. ^ Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good (2008). Postcolonial disorders:Volume 8 of Ethnographic Studies in Subjectivity. University of California Press. p. 169. ISBN 0520252241. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PXz93jHKsJ0C&pg=PA169&dq=Enver+Hoxha+Mausoleum&hl=en&ei=gnFITOqeAsWOjAepo8yiDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Enver%20Hoxha%20Mausoleum&f=false. 
2. ^ "Cultural and Sports: should Pyramid be torn down?". Southeast European Times. http://setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/roundup/2010/11/03/roundup-cl-03. Retrieved 7 November 2010. 
3. ^ "Mblidhet komisioni shteteror për ndërtimin e parlamentit te ri" (in Albanian). Shtypi i Dites. http://shtypidites.com/6523-mblidhet-komisioni-shteteror-per-ndertimin--e-parlamentit-te-ri.html. Retrieved 6 November 2010. 
4. ^ "Parlamenti i ri i Shqipërisë, 17 mijë metra katrorë - Shqipëri - Lajme - Koha Net". http://www.koha.net/index.php?cid=1,16,39013. Retrieved 6 November 2010. 
5. ^ Programi i Hapur http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcaV6AC5IZ4