National Museum of Arms

About

National Museum of Arms in Gjirokastër is housed inside the city’s imposing hilltop fortress, making it one of Albania’s most atmospheric museums. Its most interesting feature is the way it traces centuries of conflict and craftsmanship through objects found across the region. Many visitors are surprised to learn that some weapons displayed here were used during the resistance against Ottoman rule, while others belonged to local families who preserved them as symbols of honour and identity. Inside, the museum unfolds through stone chambers that once served as military storage rooms. Exhibits include medieval swords, flintlock rifles, ornate pistols, and early 20th‑century firearms, each illustrating how technology and tactics evolved. A highlight is the collection of handmade Albanian rifles decorated with silver inlay—fine examples of local artistry blended with practical engineering. Informational panels explain how these weapons were produced, traded, and used in regional uprisings. You can also see uniforms, photographs, and personal belongings of soldiers who shaped Albania’s modern history.

Gjirokastër Albania

Location

It is located at Rruga Gjin Bue Shpata, inside Gjirokaster Castle, Gjirokaster 6001, Albania. You enter the big castle on the hill above the old town and the museum is in the inner galleries of the castle. So you are literally inside a fortress while looking at arms. The museum was opened in 1971 and shows a collection of weapons from different periods, from medieval times to World War II and the communist period. You can see old rifles, cannons, even a small artillery piece and a US Air Force plane from the Cold War that was forced to land. It is a bit dark and atmospheric, very fitting for a castle museum. The castle itself is a huge attraction, one of the biggest in the Balkans, with amazing views over the stone city. Inside the castle complex there is also the Gjirokaster Museum in the former prison. Down in the old town you can walk to the famous stone houses that are like small palaces. The Ethnographic Museum is in the former house of Enver Hoxha, and nearby you have Skenduli House, a beautiful 18th century Ottoman palace with original interiors. There is also the house of Ismail Kadare, the famous writer, and the Cold War Tunnel under the castle, which is a huge bunker from the communist time.