"Stalked tourists": Holidays under the watchful eye of the Security

Several museums-exhibits have recently been inaugurated in the center of Durrës, which echo the civic life of the last century.

The initiatives have been undertaken privately by some intellectual ladies, residents of the ancient city, who, with the innovations they bring, are also filling the temporary absence of the two main official museums in Durrës.

The lecturers of Aleksandër Moisiu University, Brunilda Liçaj and Arjana Isaku three weeks ago opened the doors of the exhibition "Surprised Tourists", a brand new tourist dimension for local and foreign visitors to the ancient city.

In the apartment and yard that Mrs. Albina Mima has made available to the exhibition-museum, nothing is missing from the past of an Albanian family, but a large part of the museum elements is occupied by the documents of Albanian tourism 1950-1980, not forgetting the tape recorders until the eavesdropping "bugs" during the communist period.

Brunilda Liçaj, creator of this exhibition, told BIRN that "the first individuals and groups of tourists started coming to Albania in 1958 in limited numbers. Later, the participation of the state enterprise "Albturist" in European promotional fairs increased their number".

Brunilda, who has dedicated more than 10 years to documenting this topic, adds that the highest number of tourists during the communist period was recorded in the years '84-'85, when within the year about 15,300 foreigners arrived in our country , 5-6 percent of whom were intensively intercepted by the Security bodies, mainly in the hotels where they stayed".

Arjana Isaku, lecturer at Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës, like Brunilda, has 20 years of experience in the field of tourism.

This has helped the daily attendance by foreign tourists of the Exhibition opened a few meters behind the "Aleksandër Moisiu" Theater building.

The ladies have turned a state-built retreat in the early 70s into a video projection space. The last visitors were a large group of tourists from Poland.

"The cleaning of this underground bunker has continued for more than two months," Ms. Isaku, recalling that for the use of the shelter they requested the permission of the institutions.

In this space, visitors stay longer and watch a television documentary of about 20 minutes.

Along with the detailed data, extracted from the documents of this sector, the documentary film also hears the testimonies of the tourist guides of the 70's and 80's, "they were also often monitored by the Security", while Brunilda hires foreign visitors with glyco.

The yard of the house that Mrs. Albina Mima, retired teacher, has made available to both lecturers and their initiative is not unknown to the media.

Archeology Brikena Shkodra, which visited the newly opened exhibition, recalls that five years ago, Mrs. Mima facilitated a several-week expedition in this courtyard, which brought to light the connection of a thermal complex with an above-ground pipeline.

"Here we were specifically introduced to data from the 4th century, which are present in the same neighborhood, but were little known before by specialists in this field," Brikena recalled.

"This is a very good job of Brunilda and Arjana, without forgetting the willingness of the hostess to cooperate," she added.

Almost 110 years ago, during the first world war, two Austrian archaeologists discovered a mosaic with the graceful face of a woman very close to this apartment, which became famous in the scientific world and not only, under the name "Beauty of Durrës".

It seems that a woman worked with pebbles in the 4th-3rd century BC has given her name to the sensitivity of the ladies of Durrës today, who are sacrificing to retell the history of the ancient city.

As did Mrs. Luljeta Dakoli, a few years ago, when she made the yard of her house in this neighborhood available to archaeologist Shkodra to excavate the archaeological site, which has not yet been fully excavated.

Dr. Ols Lafe, who a few days ago presented a digital application with the title "Durrësi Trails app - Durrësi Trails" appreciates the work of his colleagues and adds that very soon the museums-exhibitions they have opened will be part of of the guide app for locals and foreigners.

Lafe says to BIRN that this guide will be completed even when the works for the restoration of the National Archaeological Museum are finished, as well as the works on the apartment where the famous European actor, Aleksandër Moisiu, lived for some time.

In front of the apartment where the exhibition "Hidden Tourists" has been opened, a caring hand has placed on the wall the image of an early gate nearby, which time can disappear.

A resident of the neighborhood tells us that the great Albanian actor Prokop Mima was born in that house.

While the century-old gates restored in the old quarters of Durrës belong to the hand and mind of a group of other ladies, who are led by another passionate woman, lecturer Dorina Subashi Xheraj.

Dorina, on a parallel street of early Durrës, has made a family apartment available to visitors.

During these five years, dozens of activities have been organized there, many of which have brought fellow citizens together in the streets of the ancient city.

"However, we need more cooperation with each other," said Brunilda Liçaj. "I have also told thousands of students: tourism is battle and cooperation," she concluded./BIRN