The Bunk’Art Museum is one of those fascinating attractions that transform unlikely buildings into temples of culture, heritage, and art.
Set in a former bunker built by former dictator Enver Halil Hoxha in 1978 as a shelter for communist leaders, the museum is a massive 5-level underground palace, with 106 rooms, now dedicated to art and history, rather than plots of war and doom.
This is a permanent museum only since April 2016, but it did open to the public once prior to this date, with its first exhibition relating the isolation of communist Albania inaugurated in late 2014. Today, the anti-nuclear bunker is a cultural center, and the visit is not for the fainthearted. It is a subterraneous maze of tunnels and fortified rooms, each with a different purpose: here a photo exhibition, there a screening room, here a place for concerts, there a gallery for art. It contains the rooms that were supposed to be occupied by Hoxha and his wife in case of enemy attack, plus a whole range of exhibits relating the communist past of the county. There’s also a stage ready to welcome festivals of all kinds, poetry readings and plays, concerts, and other cultural events. The bunker hosted the POETEKA festival in September, a DADA festival, and plans to play host to many other interesting events.
In fact, there’s never a dull moment here, as this unlikely venue is designed to attract tourists from all over the world, and to offer local artists and association a platform of communication with their public. Since April 2016 when it opened with the permanent exhibition to the public, the Bunk’Art Museum generated great media interest, attracting visitors from all over the world: Germany, Italy, Poland, France, USA, and so on. Visitors enjoy guided tours and can participate at scheduled events, which are announced in advance by the museum on its official Facebook fan page.
A visit to the bunker is also worth it for its picturesque location outside Tirana on the slopes of Mount Dajt, under the Rruga Muhamet Deliu funicular. The area is fascinating for its natural beauty. You can enjoy the beautiful outdoors after a tour of the museum, or relax with a drink at the entrance where you can also buy Bunk’Art souvenirs from their gift kiosk.