The cold war tunnel Gjirokaster

The air filtration r... ... (Area)

The cold war tunnel (Area)

This intriguing space meets all the conditions to explore and imagine. Most of the bunker's furniture was stolen during the 1990s, but what remains still gives a glimpse into the paranoia and inner workings of the communist regime at the height of the Cold War. The tunnel from the communist period shows an alternative history of Gjirokastra. Its 59 rooms show how the communist regime prepared in case of a nuclear attack. The tunnel best represents the mindset of the Albanian state during Hoxha's regime. Especially after the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Albania and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, Enver Hoxha's regime used the threat of an immediate invasion to control the population and to keep the country in a permanent state of high alert. The visit to this tunnel gives an idea of ​​the "bunker mentality" that the Albanian communist regime had. This bunker was designed to accommodate various functionaries; from the local government, to the military leaders, the investigation and the party elite in case of a possible nuclear attack. The decontamination room, the generator room and the air filtration rooms give an idea of ​​the different installations needed in case of a nuclear attack.

Room of party elites (Area)

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