A concrete structure with a round shape like a mushroom. The top is colorfully painted and has two small windows. This is a bunker in an Albanian park. Bunkers are so-called underground shelters, some small enough for soldiers to protect themselves and fire through small windows, and some large enough for civilians to evacuate. During the Cold War, under Prime Minister Enver Hodja, who feared invasion from other countries170,000More than 1,000 bunkers have been constructed in Albania. Bunkers are not only found in parks, but also in mountains, farmlands, roadsides, beaches, and everywhere else.
Many of these bunkers have now been removed, but some of the existing bunkers are used as hotels, museums, and restaurants, and some have been colorfully painted by local residents.
Learn more about Eastern Europe → "Does the media capture the current situation in Eastern Europe?"
Learn more about other countries in the Balkans → "North Macedonia dragging its history behind it"
(Photo:Stelios Lazakis / Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED])