Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Pyramid of Tirana

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Town or city
  
Tirana

Address
  
Tirana, Albania

Country
  
Albania

Architect
  
Pirro Vaso, Klement Kolaneci, Pranvera Hoxha, and Vladimir Bregu

Similar
  
Skanderbeg Monument, Skanderbeg Square, National Historical Museum, Et'hem Bey Mosque, Mount Dajt

Standing up pyramid of tirana building


The pyramid: International Center of Culture (Albanian: Piramida) is a structure and former museum in Tirana, Albania, that opened on October 14, 1988. Formerly known as the "Enver Hoxha Museum", this pyramid-shaped structure was designed by the daughter and son-in-law of the late communist leader Enver Hoxha. It served as a museum about his legacy, but after 1991 became a conference center and exhibition venue. Some sources have referred to it as the "Enver Hoxha Mausoleum" although this was not an official appellation. The building was said to be the most expensive which had ever been constructed in Albania.

The group of architects who worked on the Pyramid were Pirro Vaso, Klement Kolaneci, Pranvera Hoxha, and Vladimir Bregu.

During the 1999 Kosovo War, the museum was used as a base by NATO and humanitarian organizations.

It appears that the 17,000 meters square complex may be destroyed for the new Albanian parliament to be built on its place. However, some leading foreign architects have opposed such a move while other supported it. Historian Ardian Klosi, who died recently, 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. However construction works were halted, while the exterior marble tiles were removed and seen in a depot outside of Tirana.

Since 2001, part of the Pyramid is used as broadcasting center by Albanian TV channel Top Channel. The surrounding space is currently being used as a parking lot, and bus station for mini vans to Elbasan.

In 2011, part of Armando Lulaj's film It Wears as it Grows was shot inside the pyramid.

References

Pyramid of Tirana Wikipedia