Palace of Culture

The Palace of Culture in Tirana, built on the Pazari i Vjeter area by Enver Hoxha, replaced the old bazaar and a historic Ottoman mosque (1837-1840) with a striking minaret, destroyed under communism and state atheism. The first stone was laid by Nikita Khrushchev in 1959, completed in 1963.

Its architecture resembles other communist-era buildings in Eastern Europe, with little renovation since. It houses the National Library of Albania and the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet.