Albania Cold War bunker opens to public

The massive, top secret Cold War nuclear bunker of then-Albanian leader Enver Hoxha was opened to the public on Saturday, decades after it was built amids fears of an attack by the West that never came.

On Saturday, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama led visitors, including ambassadors, on a tour of the bunker.

Built into the side of a mountain just east of the capital, Tirana, the 2,685-square-meter underground shelter sprawls over five levels and contains 106 rooms, including a movie theater.

The former leader's bed is still in place in his bunker bedroom, with a Soviet-era radio placed on his bedside table.

Almost three decades since Hoxha's death in 1985, Albania's countryside is still dotted by the remains of about 700,000 bunkers. Officials have said the structures, referred to as "mushrooms" by locals, were built to be indestructible and defend against an army of millions.

Built from 1972 to 1978, Hoxha's bunker was designed to serve as the headquarters of the then-ruling Party of Labor of Albania central committee and the People's Assembly, the then-legislature, in the event of war.

A guide described it as a "real five-star" complex.

On display at the bunker, which has been preserved by the military, stood a Soviet-produced Zim-12 luxury car, a gift to Hoxha from Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

The bunker, 100 meters underground, houses a museum with pictures and items from World War II and the socialist era. The heavy cement and metal doors are so low that visitors have to bow down to pass through them.

"We have decided to open everything up," Rama said after visiting the site.

Defense Ministry spokeswoman Edlira Prendi said the idea to build the bunker arose after a visit by Hoxha to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1964.

Until recently, the bunker was still featured on an Albanian army "top secret" list, she added.

Rama said the bunker was opened ahead of Albania's World War II liberation day this month.

In the small, cold and smelly rooms, one can see military equipment used by Albania, received mainly from the Soviet Union and China.

The bunker will be placed under the care of the tourism and culture ministry, and will also host a museum and an exhibition space for artists.

AP - AFP

(China Daily 11/24/2014 page11)