Our family home is located in the heart of the city of Shkoder, Albania. The home dates to the mid 18th c. and is decorated in the neo-Renaissence style, topped with a zig-zag roof. It houses Shkodra’s prettiest towe, and is hidden and inaccessible behind the concrete wall.

In 1908 the house was restored after a devastating earthquake in Shkodra in 1905 and it was at this time that the previous owner, Prenge Bibe Doda, brought restoration to part of the house and added the Tower, designed by the renowned Albanian architect Kole Idromeno (1860-1939). The house stands as evidence of the endurance by this family at the hands of the brutal communist regime.

Upon the communist take over in 1944, the house was confiscated by the regime and turned into a myriad of things from government offices to lastly a school for girls, with additional buildings erected on the property as offices. The house was unimaginably damaged over the years and prior to the fall of communism in 1991, the powers that be decided “if they couldn’t have it, nobody could” and proceeded to destroy it even more. As these photos will show the house was left in an unlivable state. When my Uncle Dede and Aunts Marta and Bardha returned to the home in 1991, their spirit unbroken, they took it upon themselves to live in the house in deplorable conditions until such a time as they could afford to make some repairs.

My cousin Gjon Mark Markagjoni, son of Kapidan Mark Gjon Marku, with my uncle and aunts and over a period of 6-7 years restored part of the house. Sadly, Gjon passed away in 2003, leaving his uncle, aunts and sisters in a state of complete loss and sadness. Up until 2012 nothing else has been done to the house except for minor repairs. As you will see in the ensuing photographs, the exterior has been somewhat restored now. On the interior, three-quarters of the house was still in total disarray. Remember…this is how the house was left by the regime and how the family lived in it while restoring portions of it. No running water, no electricity.

Since mine and my husband Vince’s arrival in Albania in November 2012, we have taken it upon ourselves to contribute what we could to the clean up, maintenance and upkeep of the property. To date we have done quite a bit. As you can see from these photos we have cleaned up the yard quite extensively to expose the beautiful yard.

As of today, February 6, 2024, the front has been totally restored through patience and hard work!

The photos below will show the before and after. The government declared the Tower a Cultural Monument in 1973 did some renovation to the right wing of the house. I say renovation because unfortunately it was not “historically” restored.

Gjon Markagjoni’s Living Quarters in 2010

Restored Quarters in 2012

The library (below) was the focus of the renovation. This was Gjon Markagjoni’s private library, where he conducted all his business.