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concrete mushrooms:
Bunkers in albania

research, production, and project

by: elian stefa and gyler mydyti
for: cultural planning and coexistence
at: politecnico di milano - 2009

“BUNKER: A hardened shelter, often buried
partly or fully underground, designed to
protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or
other attacks.”
The definition of the word bunker is so legiti-
mate and clear, that any person leading a
country would consider employing them to
protect his or her people against an attack. It
would even be a human action, if the threat
were real.
But, what really happened in Albania? What
does a bunker mean for an Albanian?
The dictator Enver Hoxha leading Albania, one
of the poorest countries in Europe, from 1945
(after WW-II), until his death in 1985,
invested on building hundreds of thousands
of so called concrete mushrooms, dotting the
landscape, as if they are sprouting from hills,
fields, beaches and roadsides of Albania and at
the same time dotting people’s brains with
question marks, fear and paranoia.
Whatever the investment of Comrade Hoxha
was, right or wrong, he achieved to drive the
xenophobia to Albanians and keep them busy
for 40 years. That was a great success of him
– he accomplished his task of defending his
territory of the nation against imaginary
enemies (imperialists, revisionists and counter
revolutionaries) who surrounded Albania and
were ready to attack. Thus, making Albania one
of the most isolated countries in the world and
keeping people distracted from their lack of
rights and very poor quality of life.
He convinced Albanians that his actions were
for the sake of Albanians by continuously bom-
1
barding them with prpaganda. One of his
most famous quotes is:
'The Albanian people and their Party of
Labour will even live on grass if need be, but
they will never sell themselves for 30 pieces
of silver and they would rather die honorably
on their feet than live in shame on their
knees.'
For the visitors of Albania, 750,000 bunkers
is a shocking number, but for Comrade Hoxha
it was logical to build one bunker for every
four Albanians, each designed to protect a
family or hold a defending soldier and his
rifle.
Today, bunkers in Albania are a legacy of the
paranoid past, permanent reminders of
where this country comes from and the chal-
lenges that lie ahead.
 albania
(41' 20' 0' N, 19' 48' 0' E)
Area: 28,748 KM 2
   Population: 3,600,523
MONTE NEGRO KOSOVO Density: 134/KM 2
Albania is a small country in the western Balkans,
between Greece, FYROM, Kosovo, Montenegro, and

the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Albania is
currently a parliamentary democracy and a
transition economy. The Albanian capital, Tirana, is
ADRIATIC SEA MACEDONIA home to approximately 895,000 of the country's
Tirana
3.5 million people, and it is also the financial capital
of the country.

ALBANIA Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is
making the difficult transition to a more modern
open-market economy - this is partially due to the
mass exhaustion of the albanian economy during
the communist regime.

45
years under

IONIC SEA GREECE
a xenophobic
dictatorship:
 There are
750.000
bunkers
in albania...
They are ever-present,
from the shores,
to the mountain peaks.

They bring happiness,

and tragedy.

Some were destroyed,

but most remain,
from birth, until death.
They are ever-present...
from the shores...
to the mountain peaks.
 They bring happiness...

They bring happiness...

and tragedy.
Some were destroyed...
but most remain...
from birth...
until death.
 2
1978

1961
prepared
keep your
enemies far...

So how did these bunkers come to be? This

chapter tries to uncover the roots of the
bunkers, by looking at Albania’s progression
through the last century.
1939
war!
1962
and your
friends farther.

1912
Reclaiming
Self-determination
1946
post-war
progress
 Unfortunately, this independence was short lived as
the events of WWII unfolded, and the nation was
overtaken by an Italian invasion in 1939.
Reclaiming
Self-determination
1912 1939 1942

As a reaction to this new invasion, the Communist Party of Albania

After five centuries of oppression under the was founded in 1941 and in turn organized the Conference at Pezë in
Ottoman Empire, Albania gained its indepen- 1942, at which the National Liberation Army was founded.
dence on 1912, finally gaining self- Its purpose was to unite Albanians regardless of ideology or class and
determination. to return self-determination to the people of Albania.
One of the seven members of the provisional In 1946, the protagonists of this movement transformed the Com-
Central Committee of the Communist Party was munist Party of Albania into the Labor Party of Albania which
Enver Hoxha who became First Secretary (chief would become the sole legal political party until 1991.
administrative officer) in 1943. Enver Hoxha remained as First Secretary until his death in 1985.

1943 1944 1946

post-war
progress

By 1944 the communist partisans (the active members of the National

Liberation Army), succeeded in liberating the country and gained control
of the country backed by the overwhelming majority of the people.
 After Hoxha’s rise to power, Albania enjoyed significant
improvements. Economy was revolutionized. Farmland was
confiscated from wealthy landowners and gathered into
collective farms that enabled Albania to become almost
completely self-sufficient in food crops.
1948
unfriendly states
neutral states
As ardent a nationalist as he was a communist, Hoxha
excoriated any communist state that threatened his power
or the sovereignty of Albania, or abandoned the Marxists
principles, denouncing any hint of revisionism.
Industry, which had previously been almost nonexistent,
received huge amounts of investment. Electricity was
brought to every rural district, epidemics of disease were
stamped out, and illiteracy became a thing of the past.
keep your
enemies far...
1961
friendly states
albania
albania
pre-1961
This would eventually create tensions between Albania and
other countries of the Easter Block. After the death of the
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, for whom Hoxha held a lifelong
admiration, his relations with the USSR deteriorated.
 From that point on Albania became a
much more radical state ideologically.
Albania considered all its neighboring
countries as enemies and started
immediately preparing for a possible
invasion, especially from USA and
USSR. Its only ally was China.

and your
friends farther.
1962

unfriendly states albania

friendly states

neutral states

post-1961
albanian
intl.relations

Hoxha believed that the U.S.S.R. was becoming social- called Khrushchev a “revisionist, anti-Marxist and a defeat-
imperialist and would not operate as a beacon of hope for ist.” Hoxha portrayed Stalin as the last Communist leader of
the world Communist movement, but rather as ano ther the Soviet Union. Soon after every Warsaw Pact nation includ-
capitalist state. In 1961, Hoxha made a speech in which he ing the USSR broke relations with Albania.
 Feeling threatened, Hoxha aimed for the coun-
try to become self-sufficient in every way. This
meant that even the defense of the country
would be based economically and physically
on the workforce of the nation.
1972
The diplomatic relations with China were in turn broken
in 1978 after the death of Mao Zedong and China’s
rapprochement with the West.
From then on, Hoxha spurned all the world’s major
powers, declaring that Albania would become a model
socialist republic on its own.
A motto of the period was “The protection of the
Fatherland is a duty above all other duties.”
Therefore except for the military preparation of
the country, a great deal of importance was
placed also on the fortification of the territory.
prepared
1978
Bonus:
me and my bunkers!
Between the years 1972 and 1983, 750.000
bunkers were built in albania. They were prefab-
ricated and transported troughout the whole
albanian territory, concetrating on the borders,
creating barricading lines, and along the coast.
but nobody came...

A short period of time (1972-1984) and a
huge number of concrete mushrooms
(750.000) lead to a stagnation of Albania.
This stagnation, since 1985, became a pain
for every Albanian.
Albanians have spent much of the last
decade doing their best to erase any memory
of Comrade Hoxha’s dictatorship. Even if
Albanians could smash the Statues and burn
the photographs, they could not be blind, and
not perceive something they coexist with,
something that serves as a tool to fulfill
various necessities, very expensive to remove
and hard to destroy.
Since the fall of Communism in 1991,
bunkers have abandoned their military duty
to become the venue for lovers' trysts and, in
the most desperate cases, homes for the thou-
sands of internal refugees.
Farmers use them for chicken coops. Neophyte
businessmen have converted well-located
bunkers iside the cities into kiosks, burger bars,
shoeshine stands, even discos.
Up close, most are crumbling and weed-
choked, memorials to an age of terror long
gone by. Many are used as trash baskets or
latrines. But in a backward land struggling to
get modern in a hurry, the bunkers have also
come to have some new, and unique, uses.
Some of very large, room-like facilities have
been turned into the Bunker Restaurant.
In cobblestoned Gjirokastra, one of Albania's
southern cities, one bunker is adorned with a
3
cross, a kind of bunker-cum-church.
Others are painted with psychedelic colors to
resemble large flowers.
That’s a reality, Albania’s reality that went
through and will challenge with the barriers
for a better one!
Today, even though Albanians ignore them or
just forget about them, they are there, still
trying to show their potential and disposition
to be used.
Bunkers seem to be happy of being born and
living in Albania, and above all proud to be
Albanians.But in fact their happiness masks
an enormous sorrow of the past which would
be recovered by their contribution to Albania.
interview #1
arch. Adriola Musaj
What do you know about the bunkers?
The bunkers are situated according to a specific strategy that Dictator Hoxha and Military Engineers had in their mind. The
purpose of building the bunkers was to protect Albania from the imaginary enemies of Comrade Hoxha. They are mostly found
in mass in the coastal line of Adriatic Sea, through which it was thought that Italian invaders would arrive. Coastal bunkers are
generally the simple ones as for one soldier. Another part of them are situated in low-land areas and just a few in high-land
areas. There are many situated in the along the borders with Greece, Macedonia and Kosovo. I have been informed that this kind
of bunkers can be found even outside Albania, as in the ex-Albanian region, actually within the Greek borders, called as Çamëri.
There are different typologies of bunkers. They can be found in different sizes. There are the individual ones just for a person,
bigger ones for few people or a family, and the biggest ones that are used for various purposes such as to keep the weaponry or
this kind of uses, or nowadays some of them are transformed into restaurants, for instance there is one in Saranda (a southern
city of Albania), but in fact were designed to host many people or families.

What influence have the bunkers had on your life?

Seeing as how I was not born during the Communism Regime in Albania, bunkers didn’t influence my life very much. But they
influenced psychologically Albanians’ lives during this period. The psychology of insecurity, people were living in fear waiting for
the invaders to come and the war to start.

How many bunkers do you come across during a normal day of your life?
During a normal day, I do not come across to many bunkers, because generally the bunkers situated inside the cities are either
destroyed or are transformed. But, the moment you go out from the city centers, I mean in the rural areas they can be seen in
mass.

What is the state of these bunkers, how are they used?

There are many bunkers in the same state as they were built, some destroyed or totally extracted from their location and
transformed to waste bins. There are bunkers that are used as storages in the cases when are near to the houses, or some are
adjusted as car-wahes. Many of them are badly painted or are used as toilets.
There are bunkers that sank,
and those that were recycled,
while others were transformed.
Some were camouflaged,
a few were destroyed,
most are forgotten,
and the rest are ignored...
...
but not by everyone!
 s a n k
The bunkers were placed throughout the whole landscape of Albania, and many of them which
were located on the beaches were eventually dragged in water the sea as the sand
underneath them was transported by the waves, or even covered by the high tides
as the shoreline moved and the beaches eroded.
The bunkers located on the lowlands and the highlands were eventually
covered by movements of the land, and expanding vegetation.
 r ec
The bunkers have used up a signifi-
cant amount of resources during their
construction. Being built from reinforced
concrete, to this day they still contain all
the steel wires which were used for the

yc l
reinforcement of these structures.
These wires are normally of a length
of about six meters depending on their
location, which adds up pretty quickly to
a decent amount of scrap metal which
can be recycled.

ed
This work is done mostly by unemployed
individuals who make their living through
unconventional means.There are also
cases of the rubble of the destroyed
bunkers being used as the inert material
for the construction of foundations.
 agron's
fast food
 tra
Albania is one of the poorest countries
in Europe, with an economy which is im-
proving considerably at a very fast pace,
but nonetheless the living conditions still
remain difficult for many. Therefore as it
has been seen in many other countries

nsf
with similar conditions, there is one
quality which prevails: resourcefulness.

The individuals who have had access to

these bunkers and little else have man-
aged to exchange the function of these
structures from that of protection to

or
ones which are more in sync with their
own personal needs. The bunkers have
been resurrected and given a purpose.

Some of the bunkers have now become

kiosks, food stands, stables, doghouses,
silos, vases of enormous proportions,

m ed
and even residences. The fact remains
that this phenomenon is less present
than the other kinds of treatments that
these bunkers have undergone, simply
because most Albanians see them as a
reminder of the past and more as pest
to be forgotten than anything else.
camouflaged
In populated areas, especially inside larger cities, the bunkers have sometimes been colored,
to remove the militaristic undertones that they still carry. This approach goes in accord with
the methods of the current mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama, who has executed a strategy of paint-
ing over the old communist residences as the preferred method of reinvigorating and renew-
ing them. The use of bright colors sharply contrasts their degraded state. The coloring of the
bunkers has been done also in part by students’ initiatives.
The bunkers have also been the target of several graffiti writings, whether it be artistic or po-
litical, and sometimes even commercial advertising has been sprayed on them.
 d es
Some of the bunkers were transported
and destroyed – the obvious approach
in the eyes of many Albanians, but the
fact remains that these bunkers, being
built to endure artillery fire, are almost
impossible to destroy, and to do so is
highly inefficient, as they require an

t ro
enormous effort to break apart just one
of them, never mind 750,000 of them.

The most diffused method of achiev-

ing this difficult goal is simply burning
combustibles inside the bunkers until
the temperature of the concrete is suf-

y ed
ficiently high, then immediately pouring
ice-water on the surface of the concrete
to make them crack. This process is
repeated until the bunker can be taken
apart in pieces. Considering what is the
method of taking the bunkers apart, it
becomes clear that this process is com-
menced only for the most inconveniently
placed bunkers.
fo rg ott en
Considering the huge number of bunkers, and their location throughout the most remote areas
of the land, most of them have been simply forgotten. It is not uncommon to run into bunkers
deep into the territory of Albania which seem as if they haven’t been touched by human hands
in decades. This is also helped by the morphology of the Albanian landscape which is highly
mountainous, with many areas which are uninhabited.
 ign
The urban counterpart of the
forgotten rural and mountain
bunkers are the ignored ones.
In the same way that the bun-

or
kers in the territory are located
in unexpected areas and gather
no attention from the inhabit-
ants of the area, bunkers in
populated areas are treated as

ed
boulders of no value and with
no significance. Objects that are
simply there - nothing more,
nothing less.
 not by
...but
c'est
cool!!!

es ist
ganz
geil!! wow!!!

everyone!
exc e p t i o n
It is interesting to take into consideration the way that foreigners or tourists see the bunkers.
A quick search on the internet on the experiences of those who have visited Albania shows
an incredible fascination that the tourists have for these concrete mushrooms that scour
the Albanian landscape. Most of them are flabbergasted by the sheer number of them. The
bunkers have become the identifying mark of the Albanian landscape, just as memorable as
the nature or the cities.
hello!
we wish you:
were not built
will be used
 4

“Could have, would have, should have”‘s, are

not the purpose of this project. We usually
aim for pragmaticism, keeping in mind that
the world is the way it is; nonetheless in
order to properly convey the massive effect “[The bunkers] cost more than twice as much as
that these bunkers have had on the life of
albanians, and that they are not be viewed as
France’s infamous pre-WWII Maginot Line, and con-
just something which should be forgotten, we sumed more than three times as much concrete.”
decided to include this short excercise. - Daniel Howden
BBC News
We wanted to reach a tangible translation of
how much these bunkers have cost, Even by
removing all the man-years of manual labor,
we managed to get only one real estimate to
their cost:
3.000.000 inhabitants
750.000 bunkers
localization strategies
triple series
All along the cost there are triple series of bunkers,
composed of groups of three small (1 soldier) bunkers
connected to each other by a tunnel. The distance
between each group is 150 meters.

strategic points
There are groupings of bunkers with different sizes
according to the necessity, in higher concentrations at
strategic locations such as in borders or gulfs.

linear series
Depending on the geography and necessities, in linear
series there can be found, groupings of bunkers of
different sizes (approx. 80% medium-large and 20%
small) as a defense strategy.
TRIPLE SERIES
LINEAR SERIES
STRATEGIC POINTS
 bunker type

"qender zjarri"
“Qendra Zjarri” bunkers are objects which are produced as
prefabricated elements with various geometrical shapes.
These bunkers are transported and are assembled on the
decided location through large machines for heavy weights.
These bunkers are a combination of three main pieces:
- a semisphere of a diameter of 3 meters with an opening
which can be opened and used to shoot from. Half of them are found in
formations of three.
- a hollow cylinder which serves as the structure for the Three bunkers connected by a
dome concrete corridor.
- an outer wall which has a radius 60cm larger than the
hollow cylinder (this space is filled with earth).

filled
with earth
Empirically evolved
round shape
favours ricocheting.
0.30

0.60 a a

1.20
section a-a Wholy prefabricated,
transported and
assembled on site.
.30 0.60 .30 1.20 .30 1.00
3.00
 Concrete Door
bunker type

"pike zjarri"
0.70
Wall Thickness:
1m

5.00
“Pike Zjarri” bunkers are also prefabricated and assembled
on the site, but the difference is that these bunkers were
much larger and heavier, therefore the shell was divided
in slices. section a-a
Each of these slices weighs 8 to 9 tons. These slices are 1.00 6.00 1.00
then monolitized using concrete on the site. 8.00
An assembled “Pike Zjarri” type bunker could weigh
between 350 and 400 tons.

a a

elevation

Pre-fabricated elements.
Weight: 8-9 tons/elem.
Elements joined on
the site using cranes
and attached
with concrete.
 "qendra
zjarri"
Comparison
used concrete for bunkers for building roads
First of all, considering that the concrete is
much denser but since asphalt is more
expensive from construction point of view.

"pika We make an assumption that 1m3

asphalt is 1.5 m3.
zjarri" Lets consider the road 20 m wide with
2.870.000 m³ 52.500.000 m³ thickness 70 cm that can be considered
high quality in Albania, we know app. the
(20*0.7*1.5) m² (20*0.7*1.5) m² price is 1.000.000 euro/km’

= =
136.000 m 2.500.000 m total
+ =
or or

136 km 2.500 km 2.636 km

 cost
of > 2x
cost of
maginotline
The main bit of information which can be gathered from that quote is the fact that the bunkers cost more than twice what the
Maginot Line of France cost.

cost of
maginotline = 3 billion franc
(1939) 1 franc
(1939) = €0.37 euros
(2006)
The cost of the Maginot Line happened to be 3 billion 1939 Francs. In order to get a comprehensible amount, the information of
what a 1939 Franc is equivalent to in today’s money.

cost of
maginotline = € 1.11 billion
Therefore the cost of the Maginot Line in 2006 Euros is 1.11 billion.
euros
(2006)

cost
of > € 2.22 billion euros
(2006)

That places the cost of the bunkers at over 2.22 billion Euros. Quite the amount.
 /
€760
cost pupolation of albania 1985 euros
of
per
€ 2.22 billion 2.9 million person
euros
/
(2006)
In order to get a better idea of what kind of impact the bunkers had, the cost was split amongst the whole population.

€3650 4.8
euros average
per family
family
The cost for a family is 3650 Euros, according to the 1985 familty average of 4.8.

average monthly
€ 90 vs.
1985

income per family

cost of bunkers
per family € 3650
The average income for a family in Albania in the early 80’s was around 90 Euros. Seen in this context, the 3650 Euros spent on
building bunkers can gain a real value.
we wish you:
were not built
will be used

One's first sight upon arriving at Tirana
Airport isn't a large sign of welcome but a
line of bunkers, each more forbidding than
the next.
If travelers are not forewarned that Alba-
nia's former communist dictator, Enver
Hoxha, was deeply paranoid about being
invaded, they might do a double take upon
seeing this country's most prevalent archi-
tectural sight: concrete defense bunkers.
Up close, many of them are broken and
weed-choked, legacies of a xenophobic age
long gone by. But, most of them remain
still waiting, somehow or sometime to be
used.
The most important question for the
fortune of the concrete mushrooms would
be:
Will these cone-shaped gray bunkers,
loomed across the landscape like giant
tortoises, ever be used?
Taking in consideration that many of them
are still surviving in different original sizes,
and being spread all over the landscape,
with no regard to the Albania’s geography,
they could be transformed either to cheap
rooms for the travelers that are fascinated
by their existence, or to useful functions
according to their location.
It could be an excellent occasion for differ-
5
ent professionals like architects, engineers,
planners, artists, students, economists,
politicians, etc., even for the residents of
Albania, to express their ideas for the
bright future of Bunkers that would improve
Albania’s prospective developments and to
break down the meaning of fear and isola-
tion that bunkers hold nowadays.
What/How is the bunker of your dreams?
The answer to this question would make all
the above mentioned people’s dreams
come true!
In continuation there is a brief explanation
of our answer to the question.
s
STRENGTHS: What are the good characteristics?
- They are spread all over the country, and can be found in abundance in all kinds of different environments.
- There are many of the bunkers that are in quite good state to be re functionalize.
- There is uniformity in their creation.

w
WEAKNESESS: What should be avoided?
- They are not destructible
- Difficult to transport due to their heavy weight
- They carry stigma of the communist era

o
OPPORTUNITIES: What are the interesting trends?
- They are so interesting to foreigners
- Easy to be transformed because of their uniformity
- They have a long life-spam
- Different sizes of them provide different functions

t
THREATS: What are the obstacles the area faces?
- Disregard of the Albanian people towards the bunkers
- Degradation over time
- There is no clear “Ownership”, not only for bunkers but generally in Albania, which at the same time is an
obstacle for the foreign investments and integration of the country.
The latest news about
the ownerships
“Ownership”, a barrier for integration.
“Pronat”, pengesë për integrimin.
05/02/2009 15:00 www.top-channel.tv

The Ambassador of the European Commission in Tirana, Helmut Lohan, emphasized the situation of holdings of the
ownerships to the Albanian Government, which according to him is an important step of integration of Albania in Euro-
pean Union.

“Clear holdings and legal ownerships, are essential for the prosperity of this place. They are essential to attract the
direct foreign investments, for the social peace and lastly, but not for the importance, are factors for the integration of
Albania in EU.” expressed Lohan.

The Albanian Government also confesses that unclearness of the holdings of ownership in Albania is a real problem in
Albania that will last for more time.

“This problem will not have any rapid solution for the following two or three years.” expressed Deputy Minister of
Economy, Eno Bozdo.

These declarations were done during a seminary in Tirana, where participated foreign experts, from whom Albania waits
for some concrete proposals which will help to solve the issue of the ownership.
can the relics of a paranoid
past finally be put to use?

YES, why not?

But, HOW?
location, location, location:
the bunkers fill the landscapeand can
be found in abundance in
all kinds of different environments,
which makes them the perfect
structure (locationwise)
to host tourists and backpackers.
hypothesis:
the PRESERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT
of the 750,000 bunkers into
structures able TO SERVE
travellers AND NATIVE POPULATION
THROUGH MANAGEMENT
typologies of bunkers
according to their location

highland
bunkers

lowland
bunkers

urban
bunkers
HIGH LANDs

HighLand Bunkers are located in mountainous regions of Albania.

The 70 percent of the country that is mountainous is rugged and often inaccessible. In the far north, the mountains are an
extension of the Dinaric Alps and, more specifically, the Montenegrin limestone plateau. Albania's northern mountains are more
folded and rugged, however, than most of the plateau.

The rivers have deep valleys with steep sides and arable valley floors. Generally unnavigable, the rivers obstruct rather than
encourage movement within the alpine region. Roads are few and poor. Lacking internal communications and external contacts,
a tribal society flourished in this area for centuries. Only after World War II were serious efforts made to incorporate the people of
the region into Albanian national life.
Just east of the lowlands, the central uplands, called Cermenikë by Albanians, are an area of generally moderate elevations,
between 305 and 915 meters, with a few points reaching above 1,520 meters. Shifting along the faultline that roughly defines
the western edge of the central uplands causes frequent, and occasionally severe, earthquakes.

The mountains east of the serpentine zone are the highest in Albania, exceeding 2,740 meters in the Mal Korab range. Together
with the North Albanian Alps and the serpentine zone, the eastern highlands are the most rugged and inaccessible of any terrain
on the Balkan Peninsula.
low LANDs

LowLand Bunkers are located in the only lowland area, which is located along the coast, occupying about a quarter of the
total area of the country and containing about half the population.

The transition from highlands to the lowlands is less abrupt, and the arable valley floors are wider.
The agricultural and urban areas are mainly concentrated on the lowlands.

A low coastal belt extends from the northern boundary southward to the vicinity of Vlore. On average, it extends less than sixteen
kilometers inland, but widens to about fifty kilometers in the Elbasan area in central Albania. In its natural state, the coastal belt
is characterized by low scrub vegetation, varying from barren to dense.

There are large areas of marshlands and other areas of bare, eroded badlands. Where elevations rise slightly and precipitation is
regular in the foothills of the central uplands, for example--the land is highly arable. Marginal land is reclaimed wherever
irrigation is possible.
urban areas

Urban Bunkers are located in urban areas where nearly half of the population lives, with the rest pursuing a relatively quiet
rural existence.

During the former dictatorial regime in Albania, the cultural life in cities was rigidly brought into line with the party's demands. In
the years after the dictatorship, little was done for the cultural development of cities (apart from Tirana which benefited from its
charismatic mayor, a former visual artist). L
ack of money, unclear institutional responsibilities, a run-down infrastructure and the absence of a development strategy made
cities fall into cultural lethargy.

City development begins when inhabitants recognise the specific potentials of their city and start creatively using these
resources.

Cities are favored by their geographic location. Other cities need integrated policies to become engine for economic development.
The role of the central government is crucial for orienting the development pattern of the cities at national level.
SIZEs of bunkers
The small bunkers are the ones that are originally designed to host one soldier

s
with his rifle. They are generally found in low lands especially along all the cost
of Adriatic and Ionic sea that are bording the west side of Albania. In these areas
they are generally found in groups of three bunkers connected to each other by a
tunnel. The bunkers in this size can be found in urbanized areas, too.

The medium sized bunkers are originally designed to host a familly or about four

m
to five people. They are usually found in law lands in groups of a huge amount of
numbers, or in high lands.

The third grouping of bunkers according to their size are the large ones, which are

l
originally designed to host heavy artilleries or armaments, or to host more than 10
people. They can be found in the high lands and low lands.
possible
transformations
infopoint kiosk giftshop

b&b public wc cafe

 territory SIZE function

s
highland bunkers b&b
In high lands, generally there can be
found medium and large sized bunkers

cafe'

m
lowland bunkers The medium sized bunkers found in all kinds
of geography of the territory of Albania can
be transformed into gift shops and center of
networks

giftshop

l
urban bunkers The large sized bunkers found high and low
lands can be transformed into cheap hostels
and cafè-restaurants.

CENTER OF
THE NETWORK
 territory SIZE function

infopoint

s
highland bunkers The small sized bunkers which can be seen
in law lands and ubanized areas can be b&b
transformed into info poins, public wc’s and
kiosks.

cafe'

lowland bunkers
All kind of bunkers, small, medium
and large ones can be found in low
lands
m
The medium sized bunkers found in all kinds
of geography of the territory of Albania can public wc
be transformed into gift shops and center of
networks

giftshop

l
The large sized bunkers found high and low kiosk
lands can be transformed into cheap hostels
and cafè-restaurants.

CENTER OF
THE NETWORK
 territory SIZE function

infopoint

s
highland bunkers The small sized bunkers which can be seen
in law lands and ubanized areas can be
transformed into info poins, public wc’s and
kiosks.

m
lowland bunkers The medium sized bunkers found in all kinds
of geography of the territory of Albania can public wc
be transformed into gift shops and center of
networks

giftshop

l
urban bunkers kiosk
And in the urbaized areas there can be
found just the small and medium
sized bunkers
CENTER OF
THE NETWORK
 territory SIZE function

infopoint

highland bunkers
In high lands, generally there can be
found medium and large sized bunkers
s
The small sized bunkers which can be seen
in law lands and ubanized areas can be b&b
transformed into info poins, public wc’s and
kiosks.

cafe'

lowland bunkers
All kind of bunkers, small, medium
and large ones can be found in low
lands
m
The medium sized bunkers found in all kinds
of geography of the territory of Albania can public wc
be transformed into gift shops and center of
networks

giftshop

l
urban bunkers The large sized bunkers found high and low kiosk
And in the urbaized areas there can be lands can be transformed into cheap hostels
found just the small and medium and cafè-restaurants.
sized bunkers
CENTER OF
THE NETWORK
 county
residents
beneficiaries

Beneficiaries are the people who benefit from the project.

A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or
other legal entity who receives money or other benefits
from a benefactor, who are grouped as: Aimed Beneficia-
ries and Widespread Beneficiaries.
tourists In our proposal of transforming the Bunkers in working
and functional structures, the beneficiaries will be the
County Residents, who are the residents of each created
network providing them different benefits from the
upcoming functionalized bunkers.
The second group of beneficiaries will be the Tourists, that
are very important factor for the reutilization of bunkers
as a shelter serving to travelers for a certain period of
time they will be visiting Albania’s landscape and culture.
And the last group that will be benefiting from the brand
prospective new and unique bunkers, by either experimenting new
ideas of trans
people formation or knowing the legacies of their land and the
barriers it passed through time are the Prospective People
who belong to the young generation of Albania’s popula-
tion.
public
government
county
district
council

municipality
stakeholders

Stakeholders are people who have an interest in a project

or in a territory where the project is implemented.
There are two kinds of stakeholders: the public ones and
the private ones.
In our proposal, we have defined the public stakeholders
according to the administrative division of Albania. So, the
one in the top could be the government, following with
county, district, council and municipality. The reason of
this definition is due to the network creation in each
unesco county having a center as a base, controlling the each
proper districts or municipalities belonging to it, and each
county to be controlled by the government.
cultural In the other side, the private stakeholders firstly could be
associations the UNESCO which can contribute to re functionalize and
protect the bunkers that belong to a very important past
and actually have become the cultural heritage of Alba-
entrepreneurs nia, by promoting international collaboration for giving
new ideas and supervising different proposals. Then,
private

native cultural associations and entrepreneurs can also

contribute by promoting different initiatives as they have
already started by coloring the concrete mushrooms.
 RESIDENTS

TEAM LEADERS PARTICIPANTS

Participants are people with a role in a project.

ENGINEERS
In our proposal, the participants could be the residents of
the country by taking in consideration the answer to the
question how/what would be the bunker of the their
dreams, because the bunkers will be the structures
serving and proving them different opportunities.
ARCHITECTS The most important participant will be the team leaders
that could be the heads of each municipality found in the
twelve counties of Albania, therefore being able to
manage the implementation of the project by taking
legal, economic, political and administrative responsibili-
ties, and as a conclusion, by having good relationships
and dialogues with other municipalities create a well-
STUDENTS working network in each county.
And the dreams of everybody will come true by the
participation and contribution of the actual professionals
as architects, artists, engineers, etc ., and students as
future professionals.

ARTISTS
administrative divisions
Albania is divided into 12 administrative divisions called Counties
(qarqe in albanian), 36 districts and 351 municipalities. Each region has
its Regional Council and is composed of a number of Municipalities
and Communes, which are the first level of local governance
responsible for local needs and law enforcement.

albania COUNTIES / qarqet proposal

berat
10 8 2 diber

9
3 durres
COUNTY
QARK
2 4 elbasan
3
5 fier
11
4 6 gjirokaster
5 7 KORCE
1
7 8 KUKES

NET
12 6
9 LEZHE
10 SHKODER
11 TIRANE WORK
12 vlore
 the NETWORK
IS COMPOSED OF:
Each Administrative Division in Albania means a County/Qark, at the same time means a Network. The Network, according to the location
of County/Qarks that belongs to, is composed of different typologies of Bunkers which are previously grouped as highland bunkers, low
land bunkers and urban bunkers and consequently transformed according to the functions as shown in the preceding matrix.

1.
highland bunkers urban bunkers
According to the Albania’s geography and administrative division the first category of the
networks is composed of the highland bunkers and the urban bunkers

2.
lowland bunkers urban bunkers
The second category of the networks is composed of the lowland bunkers and the urban bunkers

3.
highland bunkers lowland bunkers urban bunkers
The third category of the networks is composed of all types of bunkers , the highland bunkers , lowland bunkers and urban bunkers
b&b
Bunker to
private room in
3 easy steps!

Step 1: Add door + window

Step 2: clean
Step 3: add bed + lantern
b&b
Network creation
and management of
private rooms

Step 1: map the bunkers, finding the ones

worthy of modifying
Step 2: make an infopoint for areas with high
density of bunkers which distributes
fresh sheets and showers
Step 3: low cost means low price;
a new kind of hostel
Bibliography:

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<http://travelvideo.tv/news/more.php?id=10039_0_1_0_M41>.

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<http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9703/18/albania.bunkers/index.html>.

Dujisin, Z., “ALBANIA: Forget Communism...or Sell It”, End 2007, IPS, November 2008, <http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38853>.

Fink, B., “NOT SUCH A JOKE, Accidentally Enjoying Albania”, October 1, 2006, San Francisco Chronicle, November 2008,
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"Ownership, a barrier for integration.”, February 05, 2009, <www.top-channel.tv>.

Shenon, Ph., ”Dictator Liked Bunkers. My, They Mushroomed!”, Tirana Journal, April 13, 1996
 Shenon, Ph., “Dictator’s paranoia made Albania a land of bunkers: immobile concrete domes dot landscape by thousands.”, Daily News
(Los Angeles, CA), April 14, 1996

Vrazo, F., “Bunkers from Albania's paranoid days prepared for possible use.”, Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, April 19, 1999.

Wheeler, T., “Albania - Europe's last forgotten corner”, May 09, 2006, Tony Wheeler’s Blog, November 2008,
< http://www.lonelyplanet.com/tonywheeler/travel_blogs/albania/albania_europes_last_forgotten/#more>.

Williams, C.J., “Albanians Find a Dome to Call Home”, Chicago Sun-Times, November 27, 1994

Photos:
http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/hoxha.html

http://www.hansrossel.com/photos/albania-tirana-pictures-images/photography/Albania_IMG_8255.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/tonywheeler/travel_blogs/albania/albania_europes_last_forgotten/#more

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/dadissad/sets/72157601052685944/?page=2

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