Tirana (Albania) | Bunk'Art 2 - Day 171

Near Skanderbeg Square, I encountered a recently erected display centered on the Russian-Ukrainian War. The exhibit is a concerted effort within Albania to support Ukraine and ensure that Albanians remember that their prior Communist regime, which ended only 30 years ago, was responsible for similar atrocities. This display recounts the long history between Russia and Ukraine, dating back to Stalin. It tells the story of Russia's deliberate attempts to eradicate Ukrainians and the recommitment by Putin to this 100+ year objective. The display coincides with another Russian offensive targeting civilians and Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

After yesterday's experience at Bunk'Art 1, I look forward to Bunk'Art 2. This museum is located inside the Ministry of Interior's nuclear bunker near the center of Tirana. Neither Enver Hoxha nor the Minister of the Interior ever saw this bunker completed. They both died a few years prior. The dome is not original to the site. It was added later when the museum opened in 2016 and is an authentic bunker built during Enver Hoxha's regime. The huge dome is similar to the one I saw in Apollonia.

The dome adds to the feel of this dark-tourism experience. Bunk'Art 2 was created to bring to light how the police force in Albania evolved under the Communist Regime.

The exit of Bunk'Art 2 is also not original and is located southwest of the entrance dome. The entrance is visible to the left of the exit at the base of the three buildings.

I follow the group in front of me down a flight of stairs to the ticket counter. I reach into my pocket and pull out my receipt from yesterday. One of the employees sees, and he allows me to jump past others waiting to buy tickets.

It doesn't take long before I get that uneasy, eerie feeling I had yesterday while in Bunk'Art 1. This bunker has four main hallways, connected by one main hall in the back, similar to the letter "E." The timeline and evolution of the police force are established in the first hallway I enter. The story begins in the bottom right of the "E" immediately after the ticket counter. The establishment of the police institutions is deliberate, intentional, and predictable given the events unfolding in Albania, beginning with the Italian invasion before World War I.

As the Communists regime and subsequent police forces became more established, a massive effort was undertaken to build a wall around Albania and fence out foreigners. This was similar to other parts of Eastern Europe under Communist rule. What was not well known was this was also a conscious effort to keep Albanians from leaving the country. 

One of the rooms I enter is dark. I barely see a 6-strand barbed wire fence that extends floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall. There are wooden fence posts on either side of the room. As I cross the threshold, it begins to snow. Searchlights and strobe lights make it hard to see beyond the fence. My eyes are struggling to see the details in the small room that now feels enormous. An intense room!

The next room highlights the border police's number one tool, attack dogs. During the Communist era, nearly 500 attack dogs were used to help patrol the borders. The dogs were so crucial that high-ranking officials had to be notified when one of the dogs was sick. The room depicts how dogs were trained. The yellow and black blanket jacket was specially constructed to protect the trainers from the bite of the dogs being trained. The photos show the training process. While I try to read the display, a track of barking and growling dogs plays in the room. It is rather disruptive is a remarkable twist of this dark-tourism attraction.

The sentence at the bottom of this sign resonates with me. It reminds me of events in the United States not long ago, where there was an agenda to spend billions on building walls to control borders. The pitch is always the same from the leaders at the time. "We need to protect our country," they say. Fear-based politics is the easiest way to control people. History has proven, however, that isolation weakens countries, and economies, as it precludes the exchange of ideas, people, and cultures. Strong countries welcome diversity and learn to leverage the strengths of others. Isolation typically benefits the leader; it increases their power and control over the country. Sadly, these leaders often seek this, and people fail to see it.

One most remarkable pieces of equipment I notice is this hand-powered electric generator. The unit still functions today and operates much like the emergency crank flashlights, except this one generates 6-volts of power and was used to aid with communications equipment.

Against the back hallway, I pass this entryway with a blue light. This was the original entry into the bunker. Beyond the blue light is a set of stairs that leads directly to the Ministry of the Interior building. This allowed Communist party members to escape into the ground without risking being vulnerable to the exterior. 

This luxurious room was the Minister of the Interior's room. The original wood paneling and herringbone wooden floors have been preserved. Beyond this room is a smaller office and finally a bedroom. Life was good if you were appointed to be a high-ranking official within the Communist regime. The pictures on the wall are people serving in this role through the years.

In another hallway is a series of rooms that recount the paranoia, tactics, and atrocities that Communist police employed through the end of the regime, i.e., 1993. More than 6,000 people were killed as political prisoners. A couple of rooms show all the equipment (e.g., bugs, cameras, tape recorders, etc.) used to spy on people. For example, a broom is mounted on a wall with the a 5 cm (2 in) part of the butt-end cut in half, revealing a bug (i.e., a tiny electronic microphone). Communist officials kept detailed logs of every encounter with informants and the suspected threats. 

One of the prominent signs in the hallway describes the 36 torture techniques used by the police to interrogate people. The sign lists the methods' names and provides a few sentences explaining how they were implemented. As I read through them, I am disgusted that a person would do such things to another human being. Yet, on the other hand, I feel deep empathy for those 6,000 people that had to endure such violence. Another room has a specific account of a young woman tortured daily to the point where she became mad. When another officer attempted to help her by requesting she be cleaned up and provided proper living conditions, she jumped out a window at her first opportunity and fell to her death.

The adjacent room has a video of an old man who tells of other atrocities he was made aware of by another family member involved in the tortures. In that room, the names of every victim hang from the ceiling on signs. As I read through the victims' names, I notice that some surnames have 6-15 individuals. Wow! It appears that entire families were tortured and killed.

In the hallway is a poster describing the coverups of the early 1990s. Once the failing Communist Regime realized the end was near, they built several large "bakeries." Their goal was to destroy evidence and records so no one would know that these atrocities were committed. "Bakeries" converted > 800 kg (1,763 lbs) of paper documents and records into a white dough. The dough was created by mixing paper products with water, and other ingredients were hauled away and buried in large pits. The lengths people go to hide past atrocities and shameful behaviors are incredible. 

The last room I visit has a metal sculpture created as a symbol of Communist propaganda. The metal monster of dictatorship, which carries a rifle and a pick axe, is the artist's personification of these ideals based on his childhood experiences. Before leaving the room, and the creepy sculpture, I read through the artist's description and inspiration for the piece. Finally, I read the last few lines and ponder events over the previous few years in the United States and Europe:

"The monsters use media as smokescreens for their crimes as they do not want anyone to think any differently, but only the way they dictate. The monsters observe and use the information to gain power. The monsters can enrage crowds and climb the ranks with no pity, as they know no misery. As the monsters thirst for power, they build their empires to protect themselves from being overthrown.

The entrance at night looks stunning! 

When I leave Bunk'Art 2, I feel worn out and relieved to be outside again. I am glad I chose to do the two Bunk'Arts on separate days. The intensity of these compelling, immersive experiences would have been too much for me. One of the purposes of the Bunk'Art museums is to ensure that this part of Albania's dark history is never repeated. They are doing one heck of a job! The conversion of these once-secret bunkers and the immersive storytelling created uniquely diverse experiences that were easily worth the price of admission.

Skanderbeg Square is beautiful tonight. My favorite high-rise is lit in red tonight in honor of the Albanian Independence Day celebration tomorrow, November 28. Walking through the square, there is a World Cup match on the jumbotron. It's Canada vs. Croatia, and Canada leads nil-1. Shortly after I started watching the jumbotron, Croatia tied the match. Then a few minutes later, they take the lead 2-1. Canada goes on to lose the game 4-1.

The huge stage is completely assembled on the other side of the square. I learn that Dua Lipa, an English-Albanian singer known for her disco-pop hits, will be performing here tomorrow night in a free concert to celebrate Independence Day. Unfortunately, the only reasonably priced option I had for flying back to Dublin, Ireland, was tomorrow. So I will miss the celebration. The time I spent in Albania and with Albanians, Kosovo included, has been incredible! When I arrived, I was still determining what I would find in this region. This is a real treasure! The richness of the food, culture, people, and outdoor beauty will inspire me for years to come. I presented myself with a genuine gift when I allowed myself to spend more time here than I originally planned. I had no intention of spending a month in Albania and Kosovo, but I am glad I did. The rest of the Balkans will need to wait for now.