Albania’s bunkers
Why are there so many pillboxes and bunkers in Albania?
During the Cold War, Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha believed that a land invasion of Albania could be launched at any moment.
He developed a national defence strategy centred around an enormous network of military bunkers that would enable Albania to resist invading forces. Larger bunkers, underground command centres, storage facilities and even an underground city were installed in towns and cities. But also smaller, defensive bunkers, just big enough for two soldiers, were installed right across the country, in vast numbers, to enable fighters to hold off invaders from any direction.
Factories were required to manufacture the heavy pre-fabricated parts, which then had to transported across the country. Teams of local workers and soldiers were needed, to assemble and install them. It's estimated that at least 170,000 bunkers were eventually installed all over Albania, by teams working in all weathers, in remote and mountainous areas as well as farmland and coasts. The work was often difficult and sometimes dangerous.
Many have since been demolished. However, by their nature they are quite difficult to remove. Instead, many people have repurposed them, as storage sheds, cafes, museums or shops - so you are likely to see some if you visit Albania.
To learn more about the bunkers, I recommend this BBC article which includes interviews with bunker engineers and discusses the effect of the policies on everyday Albanians or this National Geographic article on the bunkers.
