Albania is home to a huge number of abandoned bunkers, which were built during the paranoid communist government of Enver Hoxha from the 1960s to the 1980s
Albania, a gem of southeast Europe, harbours a peculiar historical inheritance that’s hard to miss. Scattered across its terrain for more than 60 years are hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers, with nearly 15 per square mile punctuating the landscape.
These bunkers, locally known as “bunkerët,” stand as stark reminders of Albania’s past under the oppressive rule of the communist leader Enver Hoxha. From the swinging ’60s through the paranoid ’80s, Albania was on high alert, constructing these bunkers against potential invasions that never transpired.
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Although urbanisation and scrap-merchant explosions have reduced their numbers from over 750,000, plenty of these relics still dot the countryside. Their uses have evolved over time – from mere abandoned shells, they’ve transformed into agricultural storage, quirky art spaces, and unique wineries.
Originally erected as bulwarks against supposed threats from both the Soviet Union with its allies and NATO countries, these bunkers now serve as hauntingly educational sites for anyone fascinated by the Cold War era.
Hoxha’s all-consuming drive for “bunkerisation” saw these defensive pods populating every nook of the once so-called People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, cutting through cityscapes and perching in remote mountain passes, reports the Express.
Still standing in considerable numbers are over 175,000 of the iconic “mushroom” bunkers, which were designed as shooting stands for machine guns.
The extensive network of bunkers in Albania, built during the Hoxha government, was never utilized for its intended purpose and ultimately became a significant financial burden on the country. The construction costs were equivalent to twice that of the Maginot Line in France, consuming twice the amount of concrete.
To put this into perspective, each bunker’s cost was comparable to a two-room apartment, and the resources used could have easily resolved Albania’s chronic housing shortage, according to Elez Biberaj’s 1998 book on Albania’s transition.
Following the dissolution of the communist government in 1992, the bunkers were abandoned. While a few were repurposed during the 1997 Insurrection and 1999 Kosovo War, most now lie derelict.
In 1998, a BBC reporter described their ubiquity on the road between Tirana and the city’s airport, noting that they seemed to be “looking down from every hillside, sprouting out of every bank”.
Although some have been repurposed as animal shelters or storage facilities, many remain abandoned due to the high cost of removal. Over the years, numerous suggestions have been made for repurposing the bunkers, including converting them into pizza ovens, beehives, mushroom farms, beach huts, or even youth hostels.
Back in 2014, a five-storey nuclear bunker near Tirana, originally built for dictator Enver Hoxha, was transformed into a tourist hotspot and art exhibition space, showcasing artefacts from World War Two and the era of Hoxha’s rule.
Nowadays, these bunkers have become an iconic symbol across Albania, with quirky souvenirs like pencil holders and ashtrays modelled after them turning into the country’s most sought-after mementos for visitors. One particular range of bunker-themed keepsakes hit the shelves with a cheeky tagline: “Greetings to the land of the bunkers. We assumed that you could not afford to buy a big one.”
