The infamous labour camp for political prisoners in Spaç (Burgu i Spaçit) was built in a remote part of the Mirditë region, modelled on the Soviet Gulag. Hundreds of convicts worked here in appalling conditions during the communist era, and an unknown number have died. Today, the unused prison is a museum. A visit is depressing but helps better understand, how the totalitarian regime in Albania looked like.
The communists set up the labour camp in 1968 after a nearby copper mine from the 1930s reopened. It was affected by a high mortality rate among convicts, as they lived in slave-like conditions, with little food and without basic hygiene and health needs.
After the fall of communism, the area of the labour camp was declared a cultural monument and transformed into a museum. However, the Albanian government has not yet allocated much money for its repair, and so this memento of a cruel dictatorship is falling into disrepair.
Dilapidated barracks in a deep ravine, far from any civilization, give a depressing impression. There are several information boards written in English. One describes a suppressed revolt organised by prisoners. For four days they managed to take over the entire labour camp and raised a national flag without the red star over the head of an Albanian eagle. After the uprising was suppressed, the leaders of the protest were executed.
The best way to get here is by car, from the highway exit it is seven kilometres on a good dirt road.
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