Bunk'art 1 Tirana
Inside an atomic bunker
Klea from Tirana
Enormous secrets are hidden under Tirana (and no, we don't have a metro yet...). From tall mausoleum pyramids with spooky basements to underground corridors connecting the Ministry buildings, the Hades-world adventure does not end here. In the outskirts of Tirana, just close to the Dajti Mountain, a huge bunker that was recently transformed into a museum was built to defend against foreign invasions. The legacy of the communist era is still present, but it's now being transformed into such museums and art spaces and helps the community make peace with its past.
Thus, Bunk’art is one of my favourite museums in Tirana, not only because its collection displays truths that were known but never spoken about by my ancestors suffering the iron grip of communism, but also because it entrenches the communist past with the present creation of digital arts and music.
Many installations, included audiovisual, are displayed for the visitors in the five-storey bunker and the old assembly hall is now turned into a scene that plays jazz music on summer nights. The experience was breathtaking for me: narrow corridors, concrete walls, humidity, cool breezes (though very pleasant during summer) and a great number of rooms that were supposed to host soldiers and high Albanian officials, in case of a foreign attack that never came, nor was it supposed to come.
Bunk’art is one of the most eye-opening experiences that I have had about my country’s past, therefore I highly recommend it to everyone visiting Tirana.
Tirana Spotter Klea
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