Mausoleum of the Albanian Royal Family, Royal mausoleum in Tirana, Albania

The Mausoleum of the Albanian Royal Family stands at the southern edge of Tirana, on the grounds of the Pallati i Brigadave, the royal palace that was never completed as such. The square stone building is taller than it is wide, with a grey ribbed dome centred on its flat roof and a thin rod rising from the apex. Its walls are smooth light grey panels framed by bands of pale striped travertine, and a tall green-framed window sits on the right of the facade. Niche-like recesses mark the long sides, and much marble was used in the 2012 reconstruction.

The original mausoleum, designed by architect Qemal Butka, was inaugurated on 30 December 1935 for Sadijé, King Zog's mother, who had died the previous year. Communist forces destroyed it on 17 November 1944. A replica was built on the same spot and inaugurated on 17 November 2012, when King Zog's remains were brought back from Paris for the centenary of Albanian independence.

The mausoleum stands on the grounds of the Pallati i Brigadave, the royal palace that was never completed as such, at the southern edge of Tirana. The 2012 replica was built under the direction of the Institute of Cultural Monuments, using much marble, at a planned cost of nearly 21 million lek. The reburial was a state ceremony attended by the presidents of Albania and Kosovo, Bujar Nishani and Atifete Jahjaga, and Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

The mausoleum stands at the southern edge of Tirana, on the grounds of the Pallati i Brigadave, the royal palace that was never completed as such. The rebuilt structure is a replica erected on the same spot as the 1935 original, so the setting is a palace park rather than a city-centre street. Look for the square stone block topped by a dome, with niche-like recesses on its long sides.

King Zog died in 1961 and was buried in the cemetery of Thiais, near Paris; his remains were exhumed and brought to Tirana 51 years later, in 2012. The reburial was held as a state act attended by the presidents of Albania and Kosovo, Bujar Nishani and Atifete Jahjaga, and by Prime Minister Sali Berisha.