| Bunkers in Albania | |
|---|---|
 One of over 750,000 bunkers built in Albania during the rule of Enver Hoxha. | |
| Site information | |
| Condition | 1967-1986: Military Bases
1986-2024: Bars/Shops |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1967–1986 |
| Built by | People's Socialist Republic of Albania |
| In use | 1967–1991 |
| Materials | Concrete, steel |
| Demolished | Partly |
Concrete military bunkers are a ubiquitous sight in Albania, with an average of 5.7 bunkers for every square kilometer (14.7 per square mile). The bunkers (Albanian: bunkerët) were built during the Hoxhaist government led by the Leader Enver Hoxha from the 1960s to the 1980s, as the government fortified Albania by building more than 750,000 bunkers.[1][2][3]
Hoxha's program of "bunkerization" (bunkerizimi) resulted in the construction of bunkers in every corner of the then-People's Socialist Republic of Albania, ranging from mountain passes to city streets. They were never used for their intended purpose during the years that Hoxha governed. The cost of constructing them was a drain on Albania's resources, diverting them away from dealing with the country's housing shortage and poor roads.
The bunkers were abandoned following the dissolution of the communist government in 1992. A few were used in the Albanian insurrection of 1997 and the Kosovo War of 1999. Most are now derelict, though some have been reused for a variety of purposes, including residential accommodation, cafés, storehouses, and shelters for animals or the homeless.[4]
- ^ Obscura, Atlas (2013-09-27). "Albania's 750,000 Concrete Cold War Bunkers". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ "Bunkers of Albania". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ Galjaard, David (2012). Concresco. Slavenka Drakulić, Jaap Scholten. [Netherlands?]. ISBN 978-94-6190-781-3. OCLC 841773976.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Wheeler, Tony (2007). Tony Wheeler's Bad Lands. Lonely Planet. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-1-74179-186-0.