Mother Albania (statue)

Mother Albania. The partisan monument and graveyard on the outskirts of Tirana, Albania

Mother Albania (Albanian: Nëna Shqipëri) is a 12 m statue located at the National Martyrs Cemetery of Albania (Albanian: Dëshmorët e Kombit) in Albania, dedicated in 1971.

The statue figuratively represents the country as a mother guarding over the eternal slumber of those who gave their lives for her. There are 28,000 graves of Albanian partisans in the cemetery, all of whom perished during World War II. The massive statue holds a wreath of laurels and a star. The cemetery was also the resting place of former leader Enver Hoxha, who was subsequently disinterred and given a more humble grave in another public cemetery.

The statue is made of concrete and it is a work of the sculptors Kristaq Rama, Muntaz Dhrami and Shaban Hadëri. It stands atop a 3 m pedestal; engraved on the pedestal are the words "Lavdi e perjetshme deshmoreve te Atdheut" ("Eternal Glory to the Martyrs of the Fatherland").