Albania's Biggest Communist Era Nuclear Bunker

OR..... Put Another Way

 A Tour of the 106 Room, 5 Story "Palace"

By now, those of you reading my blogs on Albania are aware of the dictator, Enver Hoxha, who oppressively ruled this country for 45 years. Hoxha died in 1985 and the Communist regime collapsed in 1991.

In 1945 Enver made friends with Khrushchev.  There was a parting of the ways as Hoxha felt that Russia was not adhering to the Marxist-Leninist doctrine! He then cozied up with China but that relationship soured in the 1970s when Nixon visited China. 

Hoxha, feeling vulnerable to the rest of the world, felt certain imperialist countries would (but never did) invade his little country.

He built 700,000 small bunkers for citizens to use if they needed to defend their country.

He built 100 underground tunnels to house his tanks, submarines and aircraft.

Between 1972 and 1978 he built a 106 room nuclear "bunker" set in a mountain. This 28,900 square foot palace had room for the political and military elite to live in style, complete with a cinema!

The current government of Albania just opened up this "palace" to visitors and called it 

"BunkArt"

Examples of country and city bunkers still adorning the landscape

Creative people either build around them or put them to clever uses!

These are examples of the tunnels used to house tanks and arms

And so we begin the tour of the "Palace"

Above is a military truck compliments of the Chinese government and below a Russian car for the dictator

This is the ventilation system for the 28,900 square foot structure built into the mountain. It was supposed to filter out nuclear fallout.

The young dictator and his own private bedroom, living room and study below

Though this "palace" was never used, the gas masks were there and a homey look was the goal

This is a photo of the first election boxes in the late 1940s. There was only 1 candidate, Enver Hoxha. You could put a ball in his box or the blank one. Ominous repercussions occurred when you were seen using the blank box.

These two photos were a gymnastic extravaganza staged in the main stadium to celebrate 45 years of oppressive Communist rule in Albania.

The dictator wrote volumes of encyclopedia like treatises on many subjects as it pertained to his political beliefs. Every home had to display these 70 volumes. Secret police or relatives could "turn you in" if these books were not visible. After the fall of Communism, some used the despised books in clever parodies.  

The crowning jewel in the nuclear bunker is a huge movie theater for the residents viewing pleasure

Let's hope in 2015 we can be guided by our faith, not our fear!