Standing alone on a cliff overlooking the Lake of Ohrid, above the fishing settlement of Kaneo, The architecture is a combination of Byzantine and Armenian elements.

Above the entrance of the museum is a large mural mosaic titled The Albanians that depicts purported ancient to modern figures from Albania's history. The museum includes the following pavilions: the Pavilion of Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Independence, Iconography, National Liberation Antifascist War, Communist Terror, and Mother Teresa.

What was once intended to protect Hoxha and his cabinet in the event of a nuclear attack is now a mixed-use art and culture centre, but with a keen eye towards preservation and remembrance of the dark years under Hoxha’s rule.