Albania’s bunkers converted to Museums

During the Cold War period Albania’s communist regime built an underground bunker to escape from the nuclear attacks of United States and Soviet Union. Now for the first time this bunker is opened for the public visit. This huge underground bunker is in Tirana, the capital of Albania. This enormous bunker was erected by the late communist dictator EnverHoxha in the 1970s. This is a five-story unused bunker and has 106 rooms and has a meeting place with 200 seats.

For the first time on Saturday 22ndNovember 2014 the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama,opened the bunker for public visits.During the inauguration along with general public there were diplomats and bureaucrats from Western nations.

EnverHoxha who made this bunker died in 1985. At the time of Hoxa’s regime near about 700,000 bunkers and tunnels were made all over the country. The government has planned to convert these unused bunkers into museumsthat will make them tourist attractions.

Outside the bunker there stood the Soviet built Zim-12 luxury car. This car was gifted by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to EnverHoxha. Inside the bunker we can find objects and pictures related to the communist rule and the Second World War. When people enter through the doors of the bunker they have to bow down because of the very low heavy cement and metal doors.

Inside the small rooms of the bunker visitors can come across the armaments used by the military force of the communist administration. These arms were supplied by China and the Soviet Union to the communist regime in Albania, the ABC News reports.

Edi Rama said: “We have opened today a thesaurus of the collective memory that presents thousands of pieces of the sad events and life under communism.”

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE