House of Leaves

Tirana

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This grand old 1930s building started life as Albania's first maternity hospital, but within a few years the focus turned from creating new life to ending lives, as the hospital was converted to an interrogation and surveillance centre (read: torture house). It remained as such until the fall of the communist regime. Today the House of Leaves is a museum dedicated to surveillance and interrogation in Albania.

There are numerous fascinating surveillance items and quite a few graphic displays about what happened to those considered enemies of the regime. Some exhibits are not suitable for children.

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