When I told my friends that I was taking a 10-day trip to Albania in late September, most responded with a one-word reply: “Why?”
A friend and I wanted to take a trip, but weren’t sure where. I did a Google search and saw an ad for a tour of Albania. The reviews were great, the photos stunning, and the price was right. In truth, neither of us knew anything about Albania. We laughed through many phone calls about our upcoming adventure, hoping we wouldn’t ultimately regret our decision.
I returned from my trip anxious to tell anyone who wants to listen about Albania, situated in southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, about the size of Maryland, with a population of a little more than 2.75 million people. Friends register surprise when I tell them that 10.1 million tourists visited Albania in 2023, a 35% increase from 2022. Although Albania is not on many people’s radar, tourism is a huge part of the Albanian economy. Last year, almost 200,000 travelers from the United States explored Albania. Here’s why:
For starters, Albania’s landscape is gorgeous! The Adriatic and Ionian seas create a coastline of beautiful beaches, and world-class resorts there rival vacation destinations from the Caribbean to the Riviera. I was mesmerized traveling through the majestic Albanian Alps, a paradise for hikers, cyclists, or spectators like me happy to view it all from a mini-bus window. Small towns gripping mountain ides provide breathtaking vistas of Ottoman era homes and castles.
Albania’s capital, Tirana, displays beautiful examples of architecture and sculpture alongside Soviet-era block buildings. Our guide tells us that a little more than half the country is Muslim, with Christians being the other dominant religious group. Tirana’s heavily trafficked streets contrast with miles of rural roads, traversed by flocks of sheep, horses and mules. Archaeological parks and museums give testimony to the ancient Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman empires that occupied Albania.
And then there’s the food! Fresh produce abounds, along with local meats and seafood. I loved Albanian filo pie, stuffed with tomatoes, onions and delicious sheep feta. Low-cost portions are huge!
What stunned me most, however, was the massive disconnect between today’s Albania and the horrific period between 1944 and 1985, when Albanians were controlled by Enver Hoxha, a “completely mad dictator,” described by journalist Blendi Fevziu as “The Iron Fist of Albania.”
Born in 1908 to an Albanian Muslim family, Hoxha abandoned his university studies in Montpellier to embrace Paris’ communist culture. After returning to Albania, he became involved in anti-fascist resistance during World War II. Hoxha’s connections with communist Yugoslavian leader Tito propelled him to become one of the longest-running dictators in history.
Hoxha’s reign of terror began with his efforts to wipe out non-communist resistance. His paranoia led Hoxha to view former friends and even family members as threats to his power.
After freeing Albania from the Nazis, he modeled himself after his hero, Joseph Stalin. In a country with an 85% illiteracy rate, Hoxha was obsessed with holding onto absolute power. In the election of September 1945, he became foreign minister, defense minister, and commander in chief.
In his demented mind, everyone, even those closest to him, was a potential traitor, subject to jail, exile or execution. He targeted the intelligentsia for execution, appointing to office those with no more than high school educations. He outlawed all religions, in 1967 ruling that Albania would be the first atheist state. His secret police, the Sigurimi, modeled after Stalin’s NKVD, created a file on every Albanian adult citizen.
Nobody was safe from Hoxha’s unpredictable purges. Fear led to blind obedience. New prisons were built to hold those accused of everything from fascism to practicing religion. Those once hailed as war heroes could be executed as rivals. He encouraged Albanians to print posters denouncing their neighbors, and ruled that everyone had to display an image of himself in their home.
Eventually Hoxha broke with Tito and relied on Stalin until his death in 1953. Displeased with the Soviet Union’s new leader, Nikita Kruschev, Hoxha turned to Mao Tse-tung for economic and military aid until China developed ties with the U.S. His paranoia and cruelty increased with age and his worsening diabetes.
Hoxha rewrote Albanian history to center himself, had so-called “traitors” cropped from official photographs, and banned any exposure to the outside world. Hoxha is credited with reducing illiteracy and providing Albanians with access to electricity, but the country’s isolation led to a lack of supply chains and trade partners.
Convinced that Albania was in danger of being invaded, he had thousands of bunkers built all over the country, which remain today. In April 1985, Hoxha died. His successor, Ramiz Alia, did not put a date on Hoxha’s headstone, declaring, “There is no death for him.” The country mourned for weeks. Life under the tyrant who called himself “Uncle Enver” was the only life that most Albanians knew.
Ultimately, the country would awaken from its national nightmare. In March 1991, one-party rule ended, but the trauma lingers. There has been no truth and reconciliation, no closure on this tragic chapter. Our guide insisted that Albania’s transformation resulted from a decision to prioritize unity over religion. I wonder how well it’s working. “We are a very safe country,” he exhorted.
As I read more about this diabolical madman, I notice similarities between Hoxha and the MAGA tyrant running for president of the U.S. Ruthless dictators, hell-bent on maintaining power, commit the unimaginable, the ripple effects of which remain for generations.
Sara Weinberger lives in Easthampton.