
The bunkers and gas stations of Albania
Albania is a Mediterranean country that is out of the world tourism loop and generally unknown to the masses. Nevertheless, it’s a land of charm, not only for its natural wonders, but also for its friendly and generous people. And these are some of the attractions that the fearless visitor will find: thousands of bunkers (there are approximately three per inhabitant), which are the legacy of a paranoid dictatorship. Wherever you find these bunkers, they give a post-nuclear touch to the landscape. In fact, they were built so well that they can’t be removed.
Then we find an outlandish and savage urbanism that isn’t stopped by any natural or artificial barrier. On one hand, the use of concrete is taken to the extreme, but on the other, it offers examples of brilliantly anarchist architecture.
If Albania has one bunker for every three inhabitants, it should have the same amount of gas stations and carwashes. IIn general, the locals are very fond of cars. And you can find all kinds of stores on both sides of the national highway: butcher’s shops, scrapyards, and more. These stores are grouped in specialized districts according to the kind of business. For example, you can find tens of furniture stores in the open air, one after the other (separated by gas stations and car-washes, of course) and then, again, you see nothing.


Tagged: Albania
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