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 Enver Hoxha from the 1960s to the 1980s, as the government fortified Albania by building more than 750,000 bunkers. [1 ...

From paranoid defense to humanitarian shelter, Albania’s 750,000 concrete bunkers stand as monuments to survival, offering stark lessons for a Europe again building walls and fortifications.

Nov 11, 2024 · To reclaim their history and take back traditions once stolen from them, Albanians are now reusing bunkers and former military barracks as restaurants serving traditional food and wine, curiously...

Oct 10, 2013 · Hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers crowd Albania long after the fall of Communism. A bunker in the Albanian Alps (photograph by Elian Stefa, Gyler Mydyti/Concrete Mushrooms Project )

Nov 12, 2019 · Albania's infamous bunkers are one of the most quintessential objects that both decorate and memorialize its terrain. They are now one of the most evocative reminders of the grizzly communist regime under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha that lasted for 45 long years.

Mar 24, 2021 · The domed tchotchkes pay wry tribute to the more than 173,000 bunkers (bunkerët) that once dotted Albania and its capital, bleak reminders of the 1941-1985 reign of dictator Enver Hoxha.

Jul 15, 2011 · Hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers crowd Albania long after the fall of Communism. Over 750,000 bunkers were built under the direction of Communist dictator Enver Hoxha, who ruled...

Nov 2, 2018 · From the northern border with Montenegro to the beaches facing the Greek island of Corfu, Albania was covered with bunkers in a frenzy of paranoid construction. They were built not just in...

There are so many bunkers that they can be found in all areas of Albania, from bustling streets to isolated mountains. Why were the Albanian bunkers built? The bunkers were built via a 'bunkerization' program that Enver Hoxha initiated in an attempt to fortify the country.

The bunkers of Albania are a ubiquitous sight in the country, with an average of 5.7 bunkers for every square kilometre. The bunkers were built during the communist government of Enver Hoxha from the 1960s to the 1980s; by 1983 a total of 173,371 concrete bunkers had been constructed around the country according to papers released in 2014.