Deep beneath a castle an underground bunker from the cold war era stays hidden from sight.
It’s known as the Gjirokaster Cold War Tunnel and is a well known secret from the “Stone City’s” past. The original construction of the tunnel was hidden from the public, and built during the seventies and eighties.
This was a paranoid time in Albania’s history, with bunkers being built in scores by the former leader Enver Hoxha. He was expecting a full blown invasion of the country, which never came. Yet it was still to the public’s surprise when the cold war tunnel’s existence became known in the 1990’s.
However, it wasn’t until 2014 that the tunnel was opened for tours. These aren’t typical tours though, as you have to ask an employee of Gjirokaster’s Information Center to take you through the dimly lit rooms. It costs 200 leks and the guides are very knowledgeable (at least mine personally was). The tour itself is only about twenty to thirty minutes.
INSIDE THE GJIROKASTER COLD WAR TUNNEL
The whole space was meant for roughly two hundred people – the ones deemed important in case of war.
There are dozens of rooms branching off from the tunnel with labels still plastered on them. Along with all the facilities you’d expect (sleeping quarters, kitchen, toilets, etc.) there are offices for most of the local government’s positions.
Most of these are empty.
However, there are still a few items littered throughout the cold war tunnel that will take you back in time. Phones with rotary dials, old power generators, and bygone magazines, just to name a few.
As with anything built deep inside a hill, the bunker is dark and cold. Still, the whole place is somehow hauntingly beautiful. Maybe this is what makes it such an amazing experience.
If you like creepy and abandoned places from recent history, or anything to do with the cold war era, this is the spot to visit while in Gjirokaster.
Fun fact: The temperature in the Cold War Tunnel is supposed to stay at 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) year round.
