Tours Culture & history Guided tours

A visit at the Spaç prison & the copper mine via a guided tour from Tirana. Immerse yourself in the prison's history and the lives of the prisoners that it affected.

Highlights

• Learn about the history of the Spaç Prison and the lives of the prisoners
• Discover the remote and unforgiving site of the Spaç Prison and Copper Mine
• Visit the site of the labor camp, on a terraced slope below the tunnel entrances
• Come face-to-face, or even face-to-screen, with the realities of brutal regimes
• Look at the scratches made by previous prisoners

Description

Explore the Spaç Prison, a notorious labor camp established in 1968 by the Communist government of Albania at the site of a copper and pyrite mine, in a remote and mountainous area in the center of the country. Learn about the political prisoners held at Spaç, including some of the most prominent Albanian intellectuals of the twentieth century. Visit the site of the labor camp, on a terraced slope below the tunnel entrances to the mine. Learn how the site was so remote and unforgiving that no perimeter wall was needed to secure the complex, only barbed wire fencing punctuated by occasional guard posts and a front gate. Hear the story of the French-Albanian artist Maks Velo, who was taken into custody in 1978 and sentenced to ten years imprisonment at Spaç. Listen to his description of the camp as “the most terrible camp in Europe and I think in the world during this period.”

Includes

Transportation to and from the site Admission to Spaç Prison Guided tour of the site Access to all open areas and exhibitions

Important Information

• Wear comfortable walking shoes as the terrain can be uneven. Bring water , especially during summer months. The site is not wheelchair accessible. Weather-appropriate clothing

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund