The National Martyrs Cemetery of Albania ( sq, Varrezat e Dëshmorëve të Kombit) is the largest cemetery in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, located on a hill overlooking

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. The Mother Albania statue is located at the Cemetery. It figuratively represents the country as a mother guarding over the eternal slumber of those who gave their lives for her. The statue is made of concrete and it is a work of the sculptors

Kristaq Rama Kristaq Rama (193230 July 1998) was an Albanian sculptor, art educator and a member of the Communist Party in Albania under Enver Hoxha's rule. He was the father of current Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. Early life and education He was bor ...

, Muntaz Dhrami and Shaban Hadëri. It stands atop a 3 m pedestal; is 12 m tall and engraved on the pedestal are the words "Lavdi e perjetshme deshmoreve te Atdheut" ("Eternal Glory to the Martyrs of the Fatherland"). The cemetery was also the resting place of former leader

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 unt ...

, who was subsequently disinterred and given a more humble grave in another public cemetery. The dictator's former resting place has been occupied with the remains of

Azem Hajdari Azem Shpend Hajdari (, March 11, 1963 – September 12, 1998) was the leader of the student movement in 1990–1991 that led to the fall of communism in Albania. He then became a politician of the Democratic Party of Albania (DP). He symbolizes t ...

, the student leader behind the fight against the regime in the late 1980s who was assassinated in Tirana in 1998. Some 900 partisans who died during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

are buried in the cemetery.

References

External links

* {{coord , 41.30899, 19.84050, display=t Cemeteries in Albania World War II cemeteries Buildings and structures in Tirana Tourist attractions in Tirana