A Dictator’s Home – Inside Enver Hoxha’s Vila 31  

Since the overthrow of the Stalinist regime in Albania in the early 1990s, the country has been struggling to recover from economic collapse. Even today, Albania remains one of the poorest countries in Europe. The processing of its past and the handling of its historical legacy are not central to political discourse. Tackling other problems takes priority. Additionally, there is a lack of guilt awareness and insight among many of those who were co-responsible at the time.

The dictatorship of Enver Hoxha led the country into diplomatic and economic isolation during his reign (1945–1985), resulting in a continuous process of impoverishment. Hoxha himself lived with his family in a secluded area of Tirana, called the "blloku." The borders of this area were constantly monitored. Only the political elite, invited individuals, and the secret service had access. After the regime’s fall and the opening of the country, the blloku became a popular and lively nightlife district. All areas are now accessible to the public. Hoxha’s villa was the only exception for a long time. Edi Rama, the Albanian prime minister, wanted to avoid turning the building into a pilgrimage site. Representative rooms on the ground floor were only used for state events. Entrance to the villa was therefore restricted to a few people and had the potential to offer an almost unaltered insight into the life of the dictator’s family, even 30 years after his downfall.

In 2023, Vila 31 was handed over to the French foundation Art Explora to set up artist residencies. Together with NeM Architects from Paris, the building was renovated, partially altered, and adapted for the new use. According to the foundation's program, 8 artists will have the opportunity to live and work in the building for 3 months each.

When I had the opportunity to photograph and interpret the more than 4,000 m² villa in November 2019, I saw it as a chance to make a little-accessible area of communist architecture beyond the known and visible accessible to many. From an architectural and artistic perspective, the viewer is given the chance to "enter" a place from the past and the taboo zone of a dictatorship.

2019, C-prints, 190 x 150 cm or 115 x 91 cm, depending on the picture

The series was also published in a book: “A Dictator’s Home - Inside Enver Hoxha’s Vila 31” by revolver publishing.

The images are accompanied by well-researched texts from the historian and Albania expert Christiane Jaenicke providing the necessary historical and societal context and explanation. Although the photographs were created with artistic intent, they gain additional documentary character. Due to the significant changes in the house during the renovation, the book has already become a document of Albanian history.

ISBN: 978-3-95763-550-1

€ 42.- incl. VAT + p&p

Please contact me, if you would like to purchase a copy.

exhibitions, publications & making of