{"id":19082,"date":"2023-12-27T03:03:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T03:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/?post_type=attractions&#038;p=19082"},"modified":"2023-12-30T11:46:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-30T11:46:28","slug":"pyramid-of-tirana","status":"publish","type":"attractions","link":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/attractions\/pyramid-of-tirana\/","title":{"rendered":"Tirana&#8217;s Pyramid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"rtoc-mokuji-wrapper\" class=\"rtoc-mokuji-content frame1 preset2 animation-fade rtoc_open default\" data-id=\"19082\" data-theme=\"Breakdance Zero Theme\">\n\t\t\t<div id=\"rtoc-mokuji-title\" class=\" rtoc_left\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"rtoc_open_close rtoc_open\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t<span>Preview<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div><ul class=\"rtoc-mokuji mokuji_none level-1\"><li class=\"rtoc-item\"><a href=\"#rtoc-1\">Concrete Symbol of Oppression and Secrecy<\/a><\/li><li class=\"rtoc-item\"><a href=\"#rtoc-2\">Unexpected Transition Hub During Albania\u2019s Awakening<\/a><\/li><li class=\"rtoc-item\"><a href=\"#rtoc-3\">Debates Around Destroying the Lofty Burden<\/a><\/li><li class=\"rtoc-item\"><a href=\"#rtoc-4\">Fresh Possibilities via Revamp<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><h2 id=\"rtoc-1\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concrete Symbol of Oppression and Secrecy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The puzzling pyramid structure towering in central Tirana catches the attention of all passersby. First opened in 1988 as a grand museum celebrating Albania\u2019s supreme but reclusive Communist leader Enver Hoxha, the angular concrete building cost more money than any other state project during those marked by typewriter bans and rules forbidding colorful clothes or Western films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana-1024x767.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19087\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana-1024x767.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana-300x225.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana-768x575.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana-1536x1150.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;w=384&amp;ssl=1 384w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/The-Pyramid-of-Tirana.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;w=1152&amp;ssl=1 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The renovated Pyramid of Tirana<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"rtoc-2\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unexpected Transition Hub During Albania\u2019s Awakening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After 1992, when <a href=\"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/the-fall-of-communism\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"11590\">new leaders replaced communism<\/a>, the extravagant museum barely used already felt odd contrasting citizens\u2019 needs, so instead, it hosted practical conferences as Albania welcomed more freedoms it had long gone without. During Kosovo\u2019s 1990s struggles next door, refugees and global assistance groups filled the Pyramid, coordinating urgent efforts before 21st-century technology or tourism revitalized the vacant site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana-1024x678.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana-1024x678.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana-300x199.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana-768x509.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana-1536x1018.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;w=384&amp;ssl=1 384w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-Tirana.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;w=1152&amp;ssl=1 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The Pyramid was ransacked with graffiti in post-communism Albania<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"rtoc-3\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Debates Around Destroying the Lofty Burden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Debates rose over whether destroying the former museum best served Tirana\u2019s growth as its bizarre shape and 20-meter height loomed like an eerily remnant of <a href=\"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/communist-era\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"11586\">Albania\u2019s mysterious oppressive history<\/a>. But its substance reflected survival too &#8211; and as the capital transformed towards <a href=\"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/news\/albanias-eu-accession\/\" data-type=\"news\" data-id=\"18589\">EU membership<\/a>, fresh visions saw the potential for regenerating the concrete core as the living heart empowering Albania\u2019s promising future instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" src=\"https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1-1024x769.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19094\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1-1024x769.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1-300x225.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1-768x577.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1-1536x1154.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;w=384&amp;ssl=1 384w, https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pyramid-of-Tirana-Albania-1.jpeg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;w=1152&amp;ssl=1 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The Pyramid of Tirana transformed into a cultural youth center.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"rtoc-4\"  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fresh Possibilities via Revamp<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Razing history doesn&#8217;t come cleanly when questions of artistic legacy loom within bureaucratic decisions. Famed architects like MVRDV Founder Winy Maas joined Albanian preservation advocates, warning erasure repeats oppression&#8217;s mentality while innovative revitalization could reconcile people through enlightened solutions. Support mounted across Tirana for escaping bleak &#8216;either-or&#8217; options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pivot arrived officially in 2018 when Tirana&#8217;s mayor unveiled exciting plans to transform the pyramid into a youth technology center focusing on IT training and startup incubation, symbolizing <a href=\"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/modern-day-albania\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"11712\">Albania&#8217;s progress<\/a>. Renovations soon added exterior side staircases, a glass roof atrium, and vibrant artwork mirrored in the structure, supporting creativity over past divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly 25 years on from Kosovo camps and parliamentary prize ploys, Albania&#8217;s youth now type code where dreary communist artifacts once collected dust &#8211; launching dreams democratically where ghosts and guards once patrolled. Tirana&#8217;s pyramid persists awkwardly yet reveals through persistence that freedom can emerge in former fortresses once foundations shift, favoring democratic futures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understand debates swirling around Albania&#8217;s puzzling Pyramid as assertions of the nation\u2019s identity through eras when the costly former museum endured abandonment, calls for demolition, before reaching its hopeful revival hosting youth IT training merging progress and symbolic presence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19084,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"tpgb_global_settings":"","_breakdance_hide_in_design_set":false,"_breakdance_tags":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[162],"acf":[],"tpgb_featured_images":{"full":["https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tirana-Pyramid.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1",1920,1280,false],"tp-image-grid":["https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tirana-Pyramid.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&resize=700%2C700&ssl=1",700,700,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tirana-Pyramid-150x150.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tirana-Pyramid-300x200.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tirana-Pyramid-768x512.jpeg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/eia476h758b.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tirana-Pyramid-1024x683.jpeg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1",1024,683,true],"default":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/the-plus-addons-for-block-editor\/assets\/images\/tpgb-placeholder.jpg"},"tpgb_post_meta_info":{"get_date":"December 27, 2023","category_list":{"category":[{"term_id":177,"name":"Landmarks","slug":"landmarks","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":177,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":162,"name":"Tirana","slug":"tirana","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":162,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":12,"filter":"raw"}]},"author_name":"Enri","author_url":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/author\/enrialbaniavisit-com\/","author_email":"enri@albaniavisit.com","author_website":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com","author_description":"Although I was born in Albania, I've spent my adult life traveling there as a tourist. Being a native who visits frequently, I can give you an insider's view of Europe's best-kept secret.","author_facebook":"","author_twitter":"","author_instagram":"","author_role":["administrator"],"author_firstname":"Enri","author_lastname":"Zhulati","user_login":"enri@albaniavisit.com","author_avatar":"<img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/959800dc9dfb17676f37baf35163fff4?s=200&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/959800dc9dfb17676f37baf35163fff4?s=400&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-200 photo' height='200' width='200' decoding='async'\/>","author_avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/959800dc9dfb17676f37baf35163fff4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","comment_count":0,"post_likes":0,"post_views":0},"tpgb_post_category":{"category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/landmarks\/\" alt=\"Landmarks\" class=\"category-landmarks\">Landmarks<\/a> ","post_tag":"<a href=\"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/tag\/tirana\/\" alt=\"Tirana\" class=\"post_tag-tirana\">Tirana<\/a> "},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attractions\/19082"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attractions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attractions"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attractions\/19082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19101,"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attractions\/19082\/revisions\/19101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albaniavisit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}