Postbllok - Checkpoint Tirana

As beautiful as Tirana and the whole of Albania might be, it is also a country that has been left with the heritage of the harshest communist regime in Europe. The society still feels its influence and in order to get rid of a painful past, we believe that knowing and understanding it is crucial. Thus, Postblloku (Checkpoint) is a memorial to Albanian communist isolation, conceived as an artistic installation and created by Fatos Lubonja and Ardian Isufi, Lubonja having suffered the atrocities of the Hoxha regime first hand himself.

Situated in the main boulevard “Dëshmorët e Kombit”, right opposite the Prime Ministry, this installation includes one small concrete bunker, the remaining supports of a mining gallery in the notorious labour camp Spaç and a piece from the Berlin Wall, taken from Potsdamer Platz. I particularly like this area because it is surrounded by green and during a sunny day there is no bigger contrast than the shine of the sun's rays between the leaves warming up the hard concrete surface that has witnessed the worst kind of human misery.

I like to descend the stairs down to the bunker; being able to see the feet of people passing by is an exceptional experience. Postbllok is surely an experience that a visitor must not miss!