COLD WAR BUNKER IN TIRANA ALBANIA. During the 1970s, in the midst of the Cold War, dictator Enver Hoxha commissioned the construction of a sprawling bunker network where he could hide if and when a nuclear war was started. The bunker was dug deep into the hillside just outside of downtown Tirana and is a must-see when visiting the Albanian capital.
Aside from the colorful artwork juxtaposed onto the drab interior, the massiveness of this sprawling, underground nuclear shelter is just mind-boggling. There are dozens upon dozens of small to medium-sized rooms networked by seemingly endless corridors and thick, steel, blast doors. There is even a large assembly hall, a tiny grocery store, a gym, and, several private apartments for Enver Hoxha, his family, and the elite members of his Communist Party’s feared dictatorship. According to those that new Hoxha, he was constantly paranoid. Paranoid about being ousted and losing the power he weilded for so long.
