Visit Bunk’Art 1 and Bunk’Art 2 Museums

During Albania’s communist era, their leader Enver Hoxha went on a bit of a paranoid frenzy and built over 750,000 bunkers all over the country. He was seriously convinced that an attack from the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Greece, or NATO could be lurking around the corner.

Today, two of these bunkers have been transformed into museums, serving as a powerful reminder and warning about the country’s troubled past. They are both open to visitors, but starting your morning with the bunker museums might not be the best idea, as it’s quite a solemn experience and gets quite depressing.

Bunk’Art 1

• With 5 floors it’s much larger than Bunk’Art 2 and gives a more thorough overview of communist-era Albania.
• Located on the outskirts of the city near the cable cars.
• Take the blue L11 bus to Porcelan, for the 30 minute ride to Bunk’Art 1. Catch the L11 from outside of The Palace of Culture in the city centre.
• The museum is open daily 9.30 am – 6 pm.

Bunk’Art 2

• Dedicated to providing info about the secret police and detention camps.
• Centrally located in the city centre and easy to get to.
• The museum is open daily 9.30 am – 8 pm.