A new cultural center with state-of-the-art infrastructure is set to open in the capital, serving as an exhibition space and a promoter of Albanian tradition and art.
The former headquarters of the Republic Guard will be transformed into the “Heritage for All – The Guard” center, thanks to the collaboration between the Municipality of Tirana and the Albanian Center for Heritage.

Revitalizing this historic building and converting it into a self-sustaining cultural center will foster creativity and knowledge. It will promote the values of tradition and unique cultural heritage, encourage artistic, cultural, and educational activities in the capital, and create spaces for developing disciplines related to restoration, cultural and academic heritage, and education.

The Guard Center will be a major attraction and a valuable addition to Tirana, preserving, conserving, and providing public access to a collection of rare and unique objects that are important to Albania’s history, tradition, culture, and art. Many of these objects are owned by private entities.

To inspect the progress of the project, Prime Minister Edi Rama visited the site today, alongside Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani and representatives from the team working on the project.

“This was the Command of the Guard. These are the exhibition areas. Each of these artifacts represents a unique period in history, from the Ottoman era. On one side, there are medals, and on the other, there are flags. The explanations will be bilingual, in Albanian and English, with plans to later digitize them. One of the halls will be permanent. Here, collections are being gathered from multiple collectors, not just one, including flags and medals representing Albania throughout history. The other hall will feature rotating exhibitions and art galleries, with some permanent displays and thematic collections brought in by various exhibitors.

The entire exhibition space will be painted red. Everything here is original, not reproductions. There will be a restoration lab, an Albanian studies library focusing on books related to Albania, and a collection of books for young people who want catalogs and similar items. The space will be ready by the end of March, aiming to finish before the tourist season to make it as attractive as possible for visitors,” explained collector Artan Lame about how the exhibition areas will be organized.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani stated that the organizational structure will be similar to that of the Pyramid Museum, with a central body where the municipality participates and has a board that makes decisions on joint activities.

For his part, Prime Minister Rama expressed that the Museum will be an extraordinary attraction that will offer information about the Albanian state in an innovative way.

“This could be called the ‘Museum of State Clothing,’ meaning if the state is imagined as a person, it will be the museum of the state’s entire ‘wardrobe,’ its jewels, insignias, and symbols of power—an extraordinary attraction. It will be a museum that, I believe, will also have great value for children, students, and pupils, to learn about the origins of the Albanian state and see how its symbols and identity have evolved through different periods.”