In the wake of World War II , Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha began remaking his war - torn land in the image ofStalin’sSoviet Union . That is , he ruled with terrifying menace , stoke isolationism and Cold War paranoia .
Then , in the 1970s , with an baleful home temper firmly in office , he begin construct the bunkers . bunker large and bunkers diminished , bunkers underground and bunkers break up openly through the countryside . dugout obvious , and bunker occult .
The stated estimate was that these reward concrete bunkers ( bunkeretin Albanian ) would serve as defensive stead during an enemy invasion that never add up . average civilians were trained to rush to the bunkers in type of pinch and condition by propaganda to be ever vigilant against any and all extraneous enemies .
It was part of Hoxha ’s " people ’s war " scheme , which relied on guerrilla war manoeuvre executed by non - soldiers . He wanted his citizensgjithmone gati , or " always ready , " andmost were requiredto do at least a little military education each twelvemonth . Ultimately , though , what was really pass off was that they were being conditioned to obey the hardline regimen .
Because of theperpetual secrecysurrounding Hoxha ’s administration , the bunkers were plan and built with few public detail . engineer were moved from one oeuvre website to another , to make it impossible for anyone to full understand the ambit of the project . As such , records are scarce and no one knows how many were constructed ; numbers range from roughly175,000 to nearly 750,000 .
manufactory employees workedaround the clockto make the necessary materials . Some bunker design were idle enough to be carried bit by bit into the mountains by mules and men . Others were drop into place by helicopter . Still others were practical cities , mean to last atomic strikes .
The project was so massive that it may have require three times as much concrete as France ’s every bit incredibleMaginot communication channel , which tried ( and run out ) to baffle Nazi hordes . Some experts estimate Albania ’s bunkerscost double as muchas the Maginot , too . Notably , the bunker strategy did n’t sit well with official in the standing army , in part because the clunky and often cramped bunkers were n’t actually utile for professional soldier . But that , of trend , was beside the point .
" The trap were also about prove off the regimen ’s armed services , technical and strategic ability – at a time when Albania was increasingly alone geopolitically – and in that sense they did suffice a part , " enunciate Elidor Mehilli , a Hunter College associate degree professor of history , via email . " They were concrete thing , but they also bear a variety of symbolic value . The prescribed party propaganda spoke of Albania as ' a fortress . ' The regime meant that metaphorically , in the good sense of defendingCommunism . "
Indeed , Hoxhahad ignore off relationswith neighboring Yugoslavia , the Soviet Union and even China , feel these countries had either stray from the hard-line Socialist path , or else were warming relation back with Western rural area . Having no friend made Albania one of the most detached countries on Earth . The bunkers were allegedly to keep the body politic safe from its many enemy .
" Their construction was above all for public economic consumption and not for any military use , " add Artan Hoxha , a alumna student at the University of Pittsburgh , by email ( he ’s no relation to the dictator ) . " The regime was aware that the bunkers would not help in contemporary warfare . "
An Underground Town of Bunkers
In a town identify Kukes , what started as a serial of bomb trap lento germinate into what became an underground town . It had huge rooms , interlink tunnels and command centers , and it was meant to provide self - sufficient shelter forup to 10,000 peoplefor half a yr .
The government regularly acquit Mandrillus leucophaeus in which townspeople rushed to this huge maze ; eventually , they were so proficient in this exercise that the entire town could sequester itself within seven minute . Yet because of the way the underground city was purposely segmented , no one had any melodic theme how enceinte it really was – not even the building workers who built it . Once inside , resident physician were forbidden to move around .
Albania Today
The trap construction ended with the last of the potentate in 1985 . Since then , " Albania has undergo striking changes , " says Mehllie . " This year mark 30 year since 1990 , when the Communist regime began to break up . Albania has become an open society , which is a big deal , since it was one of Europe ’s most unforgiving absolutism . At the same time , the conversion has not been well-heeled . Many Albanians have left the body politic since , try opportunities elsewhere , including here in the U.S. "
" Today , [ Albania ] is the most pro - European and pro - American nation in the ex - communistic bloc . I think this speak for itself , " adds grad pupil Hoxha .
In the meantime , the older bunkers remain . Given their implicit in ruggedness , it ’s too dearly-won and time - devour to remove most of them . alternatively , enterprising Albanians are convince them – often in spite of governance foe – for other function .
In rural areas , they ’re used to shelter livestock or to store grain . despairing dispossessed people use them , too . adolescent , who in this poor Carry Amelia Moore Nation deficiency cars , often use the bunkers for romantic encounters .
Some bunkers now serve as remembrance and museum , which put the horror of the Communist authorities on display . Others havebeen convertedinto coffee store , bars , pizzerias and lodging for tourists .
And how do Albanians perceive the dugout today ? " I am not indisputable most Albanians care about them , " says Mehilli . " It ’s mostly tourists who are obsessed with the bunkers as a kind of curiosity . Most Albanians , I would say , are worried about corruption , impoverishment , and whether there will be a better futurity for their child . "
