TIRANA - Last Stop in Albania

We knew that Albania had a complex history and wanted to find out a little more about it, so off to Bunk'Art 1 we go.

In summary, Albania other than a very brief period of independence in the 15th. century, was under the control of another country until the 20th. century.

Even when their independence was won in 1912, the people faced difficult times.  There was an occupation by Serbia, then a couple of short-lived monarchies and an occupation by Italy just prior to WW II.   Then with the war, occupation by Germany.  These last two occupations took a heavy toll on the Albanian people (lives lost in the resistance fights and in concentration camps) and on the economy with much bombing and destruction, as well as looting by the occupiers.

After the war, Albania became a communist state and was under the iron-fisted ruler Enver Hoxha for four decades.  During this time over 100,000 Albanians were victims of political persecution.

In 1990 the communist regime finally collapsed and another period of unrest and instability settled in.  The economic and political situation gradually improved and in 1990, Albania was accepted into NATO and today it is applying to become a member of the European Union.

Red on the Albanian flag for bravery, strength & valour, the double-headed eagle for the sovereign state of Albania

Bunk'Art 1 is a collaboration between the Albanian government and the art collective Qendrallra.  It is 3,000 square meters in a five-story underground fallout shelter, built in the 1970s intended to protect the political and military elite from Enver Hoxha's bogeymen of nuclear fallout and for the protection and isolation from Imperial powers.

It has 106 rooms connected by a rabbit warren of hallways.  Like the 173,000 small bunkers he built throughout the country, it was never put into service.

This was a very secret project.  After communism was overthrown it was decided in 2014 to expose the bunker.  In order to do so, entrance and exit tunnels needed to be built for access.  It's rather spooky going through the long tunnel to enter the bunker.

Many of the rooms are filled with the modern history of Albania, in multi-media format and there is a theatre used today for concerts, lectures and other events.

We never did get to Bunk'Art 2 which is right downtown.  It focuses on police and security services throughout Albania's turbulent times and reviews say it's as interesting as Bunk'Art 1.  Both are reasonably priced and we got a senior discount.

To start with, in the Valbona to Theth blog, I talked about the "bunkerization of Albania" by Hoxha.  Here, is a photo display of some of the different types of bunkers built and installed around the country.  Tap once on a photo to enlarge it.

From the tunnel leading to the bunker we spy a soldier prepared for the worst,  Chemical weaponry was on hand and nuclear weapons a possibility.

On the outside, there was a room that looked like it contained a heating system for the bunker.  It must have been quite chilly in the winter:

To enter the bunker is a two-door system with decontamination equipment in between the two doors to protect against both chemical warfare and nuclear radiation.

Note the thickness of the concrete doors.  The outer walls were concrete a meter thick while the dirt over the roof was up to 100 meters thick.

The hallways inside are lined with gray boxes that can produce Oxygen:

Hoxha had the largest accommodation in the bunker consisting of several rooms even though he never stayed here.  He did show up for the inauguration (top middle photo below).  The photo on bottom left shows the space given to an officer who would actually live in the bunker.

The inter-communications room.  "Without inter-communications there is no command, and without command, there is no victory."

The War Room:

And of course, the schoolroom:

Two of the big public spaces used today for lectures, performances, etc in the bunker:

Random Photos from the Bunker:

This was a scary room to go into.  It re-created the electronic border wire that surrounded the land borders of Albania during the German occupation.  If anything touched the wires, lights would flash, and I think I read that sirens would go off, an electric current would be activated and troops would come to check it out.  There was no escape.

Bunk'Art 1 was a fascinating experience and an interesting way to learn about Albania's recent history.  We highly recommend going at least to #1 and #2 if you have enough time. 

Enver Hoxha tried to destroy and eradicate Orthodoxy in Albania.  Orders were given for absolute persecution of religion and many crimes were carried out against the faithful.  Churches were destroyed and their possessions confiscated.  No bishops survived this period and for 25 years there was no ordination of clergy.

In the early years of democracy, the Albanian people had high needs for medical, social and dental care.  As the church was busy reorganizing itself, it simultaneously organized to provide primary health centres, mobile dental clinics and the training of nurses and midwives.

We were only able to visit the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania from the outside as the day we stumbled across it, we were inappropriately dressed to go inside:

Side View

Front Entrance; Close up of Part of a Brass Door; A Small Building on the Property

Clock Tower Looking Radiant

Frieze; Painted Dome; Enormous Chandelier

At Bunk'Art 1 we learned of the significance of this statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeg in Skenderbeg Square downtown.  He was an Albanian hero, who against all odds in unequal fights repulsed thirteen different invasions of Albanians by the Turks who badly wanted Albania as a springboard to take other countries.  He became a symbol of solidarity in the resistance movement and created a sense of pride in Albanian identity as the people came out from under oppression.

On the left the photo below was taken at the actual inauguration of the statue in 1968 and on the right is a photo we took of the statue.

The Pyramid: 

Enver Hoxha's family decided to honour him by building a museum about him.  It was never used as such.  Over the years it was used as a convention centre, a military staging centre and a TV station.  Since it was such an obvious symbol of the unpopular communist legacy the glass was smashed, the insides looted and graffiti covers the outside of it.  Some want it torn down altogether, others want it to stay, stark and ugly as a reminder of the dark history the people suffered.

In addition to visiting Bunk'Art we walked around a lot, as usual.  Colourfully painted apartment buildings and unusual architecture caught our eye.

Love these cozy street lights near the clock tower

This huge mosque is just being built.  We have never seen one with four minarets.

Random Photos in Tirana:

There are a few pairs of these storks on the ground and in trees in the main square

Time to leave Albania and head for the cool air, rain and wind of Scotland.  Summer's over for two weeks!!