Shepherds Use Albanian Communists’ Bunkers to Shelter Flocks

In the mountainous region of Martanesh, north-east of the Albanian capital Tirana, dozens of abandoned Communist-era bunkers are being used by shepherds as summer huts for their sheep.

Shepherds who come from the Tirana and Elbasan areas have built sheepfolds around the bunkers to ensure a safe haven for their flocks, enabling them to graze in Martanesh's lush pastures.

Dictator Enver Hoxha ordered the building of tens of thousands of bunkers across Albania from the 1960s to the 1980s, fearing an invasion of the isolated country that he ruled for four decades.

They were then abandoned after the fall of Communism in Albania in 1990, and many are now crumbling.

Photo: Fatjona Mejdini

Photo: Fatjona Mejdini

Photo: Fatjona Mejdini

Photo: Fatjona Mejdini

Photo: Fatjona Mejdini