Bunk’Art, Tirana – All you need to know before you go
On our recent trip to Tirana, Bunk’Art was definitely one of the greatest revelations. However, Tirana is a city full of surprises! Enver Hoxha’s atomic bunker on the outside of town was certainly a highlight of our visit.
*Contains historic symbols that may be considered offensive*
The History behind the Bunker
Albania at the Beginning of WW2
In 1939 Albania was ruled by King Zog. However, the Albanian army was heavily influenced by the Italians across the water. Just before the beginning of WW2 the Italians, under a new fascist regime, dismantled the Albanian army as they prepared to invade the country. The Albanian resistance put up a good fight but the invasion of the Italians was inevitable.
Italian Occupation
During Italian occupation, state sovereignty was reversed and the fascist ideology was imposed on Albanians. However, a relatively peaceful environment was maintained and the Albanian resistance was kept mostly at bay.
German Occupation
Italy capitulated in 1943, enter the Germans. Many Albanians were generally tolerant of the way the Nazis ran the country. However, this is where the political situation gets a little complicated. After a lot of deliberating – both violent and verbal – Enver Hoxha emerged as leader of an independent Albania.
Albania Post WW2
After liberation and the end of WW2, Albania emerged as a new, ambitious country. However, this didn’t last long as the country became paranoid and isolated from the west and its neighbors. Enver Hoxha was convinced that Albania was the main target for nuclear bombs and began the “Bunkerization Project”. Today, there are still around 10,000 bunkers across the country.
What is Bunk’Art, Tirana?
Bunk’Art is a large military bunker designed for Political and Military bigwigs of the time. It sits quietly on the outskirts of Tirana, Albania. Recently, it has been converted into an exciting exhibition detailing the modern history of Albania. In 2014 this former atomic bunker reopened as a museum containing authentic objects, reconstructed rooms and tonnes for fascinating information.
Not being traditional museum lovers, this was a great place to learn some Albania history and experience a bit of the oppressive atmosphere in a military bunker. Bunk’Art is certainly intense!
Why visit Bunk’Art
Many of us in the west don’t know much about Albania and its history. Bunk’Art is a great introduction to the recent struggles of the Albanian people under fascist rule, Nazi invasion and a Communist dictatorship.
Bunk’Art also provides a really intense experience of how it might have felt to be in a working military atomic bunker. The halls echo with air raid sirens and the rooms have old communist propaganda reels playing on the small, black and white TV screens.
The exhibition rooms provide decent English translations of the information and are full loads of interesting objects and photographs from the past.
Where is it
Bunk’art can be found on the Northeast outskirts of Tirana – just near the Dajti Ekspres cable car.
Rruga Fadil Deliu, Tiranë 1001, Albania
How to get to Bunk’Art, Tirana
Reaching Bunk’Art from the city centre is relatively straight forward.
Bus: There is a bus departing from the Palace of Culture by Skanderbeg square, destined for ‘Linzë’ orthe bus near the clock tower heading for “Porcelan“. Both of these buses will take you near the bunker entrance tunnel in around 15 minutes, costing about €0.40. From the bus stop there is a 5 minute walk to the ticket booth (through quite a dark tunnel) and then another 5 minutes on foot to the entrance.
Walk: We decided to walk the whole way, which took about an hour in total. This is a great option if you have the time. You can see it on the map HERE but Google does not provide public transport options. We found an amazing fruit stall on the way selling fresh fruit juice which was a great refreshment on a warm day. There is also an interesting mixture of different types of architecture to look at as you walk. You always find something when walking in Tirana!
Taxi: You can hail a cab from the centre which could cost around 700 – 1000Lek each way (€5.50 – €8).
Bunk’Art Admission Cost
Entry for an adult to Bunk’Art costs 500Lek – about €4 – or pay a little more for an audio guide. This is really great value for the experience that you have at Bunk’Art and we would highly recommend it.
What to Expect at Bunk’Art 1, Tirana
The two of us set off towards Bunk’Art with no idea what to expect. After the 45 minute walk from the city centre we arrived at a long, eerie looking, cold tunnel. Google advised that this was the correct way to go so we made our way through the darkness (it was lit, I’m being dramatic).
As we emerged at the other end, we found the ticket booth and purchased our entry passes. Grasping our tickets, we followed a slightly overgrown path surrounded by lush, green trees. There was a large military building on our right that is still in use. Along the way there were a few models wearing cold war era nuclear gas masks. Despite the bright sunshine, the chirping birds and the colorful Bunk’Art sign up ahead, there was already an uneasy feeling.
The Entrance to the Bunker
We finally arrive at the entrance to the bunker. After entering, there is an obvious drop in temperature. This is likely due to the heavy, concrete walls designed to keep out any radiation. We pass a decontamination shower and enter through the thick, concrete doors. There is a smell of faintly damp stone.
Walking down the stairs and through the long corridors, air raid sirens are sounding and there are propaganda reels playing in various rooms. There are no other guests in this part of the exhibition and the feeling is incredibly creepy as we progress alone.
The first room we enter is designed for Enver Hoxha himself. There is a plush, red carpet, a couple of armchairs and a small writing desk – basic but adequate. Other rooms are set up to show how a soldier might have lived if the bunker was ever operational. There are many other rooms to visit – such as a canteen and cinema.
We continue through the bunker to the exhibition section – down several more flights of stairs, deeper and deeper underground. We browse through the photographs and information that walks us through Albania’s history and struggles from WW2 to the early 1990s.
After a few hours, we leave through another set of thick doors and arrive back out in the blinding sunshine. The amount of information was almost overwhelming and the whole experience was powerful. However, it was pitched at just the right level. There is an excellent balance between providing a lot of great information and an intense sensory experience.
What to bring to Bunk’Art
- Camera
- Good shoes as there are many steps
- Jumper as it can be cool inside the thick stone walls
- Cash for ticket/bus
When to go
Bunk’Art is open from Mon – Thur 9 – 5 and Fri – Sun 9 – 6. Opening hours are reduced from October -March and you can visit between Wednesday- and Sunday from 9 – 4.
We went in April and it was pretty quiet. School trips do visit regularly but the place is certainly big enough to comfortably accommodate big groups without crowding.
How long to spend at Bunk’Art
Half a day, including travel, is probably enough time to get the most out of your visit to Bunk’Art.
What else to do in the Area
Check out the VIRTUAL TOUR of Bunk’Art 1 for an insight into some of the exhibitions. Nothing like the full effect of being there but this gives you a good indication of the kind of things you will learn and experience.
The Dajti Ekspres is only a few minutes away from Bunk’Art. Combine your trip below ground with a cable car ride to the top of Tirana.
If you’re looking for more bunker action, and who isn’t, check out Bunk’Art 2. This exhibition is in the very centre of Tirana, just off Skanderbeg Square (Rruga Abdi Toptani, Tirana). The focus of this museum is the history of the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1912 to 1991 and reveals the secrets of “Sigurimi”, the political police.
If you’re unsure whether to visit Bunk’Art 1 or Bunk’Art 2 maybe this will help. We would recommend starting with Bunk’Art 1 as it provides a wider overview of recent Albanian history – great for novices like us. However, if you are fascinated specifically by political history, propaganda and the secret police, then Bunk’Art 2 might be for you. If you have time, we would recommend both but perhaps not in the same day – the experience is intense!
More info
Final note: Things change in the Balkans all the time and there is not much information online in English. However, we found people to be really friendly and super helpful so we would definitely advise checking with a local where possible.
Have you visited Bunk’Art or Tirana? Are you planning a trip and need more information? Drop a comment in the box, we’d love to hear from you!
We’ve never seen a bunker! Did you ever feel a little scared or claustrophobic? Totally reminds me of a scary end of the world movie!