Marubi National Museum of Photography
Photo: Phone — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Established in 2016, the Marubi National Museum of Photography in Shkodër houses a vast collection of over 500,000 negatives, documenting Albanian life from the 19th to 20th century.
Planning your visit
The Marubi archive is one of the most significant photographic collections in the Balkans. Pietro Marubi, an Italian political exile, opened a studio in Shkodër in 1856 and produced the first known photograph taken in Albania; his assistants and their descendants, the Kodheli family who took the Marubi name, continued the business for a century.
The result is over 500,000 negatives documenting Albanian life from the 1850s to the 1950s — Ottoman-era portraits, highland clansmen with their weapons, women in regional costume, funerals, weddings, the independence movement, and the transition through monarchy to the communist takeover. For a country that was closed and poorly documented, this is the visual record.
The museum opened in its current form in 2016 in a restored building, and the display quality is high by regional standards.
Shkodër also holds Rozafa Castle above the town, with its legend and its views over three rivers and Lake Skadar. Bookable options combine both. Allow ninety minutes. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Marubi National Museum of Photography?
Marubi National Museum of Photography is in Shkodër, Albania. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Marubi National Museum of Photography?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Marubi National Museum of Photography in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.