Paranoid Dictator's Communist-Era Bunkers Now A National Nuisance

Paranoid Dictator's Communist-Era Bunkers Now A National Nuisance
People sunbath atop of decrepit communist era bunkers on the shore in Qerret beach on July 13, 2011. During its self-imposed isolation under the communist regime, Albania built half a million bunkers all over its territory to protect itself from an invasion that never came. AFP PHOTO/ GENT SHKULLAKU (Photo credit should read GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP/Getty Images)
People sunbath atop of decrepit communist era bunkers on the shore in Qerret beach on July 13, 2011. During its self-imposed isolation under the communist regime, Albania built half a million bunkers all over its territory to protect itself from an invasion that never came. AFP PHOTO/ GENT SHKULLAKU (Photo credit should read GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP/Getty Images)

In Albania, 750,000 Communist-era bunkers populate the landscape, relics of the paranoia and skewed priorities of former dictator Enver Hoxha. Now they exist as quirky homes, animal shelters, ad hoc storage and make-out spots. The peculiar program of bunkerization, which lasted Hoxha’s entire 40-year rule, resulted in one bunker for every four citizens.

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