Bunk'Art 2

The entrance is through a concrete dome jutting from the sidewalk. Stairs lead down to a single underground level with 24 rooms connected by narrow corridors. Walls, ceilings, and blast doors are original, dating to the 1980s construction.

The first section covers Albania's police history from the Ottoman Empire through World War II – photographs, documents, uniforms. The main and most harrowing section covers the Sigurimi: wiretapping equipment, typewriters used for denunciations, personal files, photographs of the arrested and disappeared. Audio testimonies from victims play from speakers in dedicated rooms.

The atmosphere is oppressive – dim lighting, low ceilings, cramped spaces. Corridor walls are covered with information panels in small text – during peak hours, visitors queue to read them. The final rooms are dedicated to the regime's victims – names, faces, stories. The exit is on the opposite side from the entrance, leading to an interior courtyard.

Location – 100 m from Skanderbeg Square, entrance through a concrete dome in the pavement

Sigurimi exhibit – secret police equipment: surveillance devices, interrogation records, personal files

24 rooms – on a single underground level, one-way visitor route

Audio testimonies – recordings of victims' accounts in dedicated rooms

Blast doors – original nuclear-rated doors from the 1980s

Contrast – from the bustling city center down into bunker silence in one flight of stairs

The bunker beneath the Ministry of Interior was built between 1981 and 1986 – one of the last major bunker projects in Albania. Enver Hoxha died in 1985, a year before construction was completed. The bunker was designed to protect the ministry and the Sigurimi apparatus – the secret political police that controlled every aspect of Albanian life. The original entrance was from inside the ministry building; the bunker was entirely classified.

After the regime fell, the facility remained sealed. In 2016, the bunker was opened as a museum dedicated to the victims of communist terror. The exhibition was created with input from historians and former political prisoners. The museum quickly became one of the most visited sites in Tirana, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Location: Rruga Abdi Toptani, opposite City Hall, 100 m south of Skanderbeg Square.

From the center:

– Walk from Skanderbeg Square – 2 minutes

– From the Pyramid – 5 minutes north

– From the Blloku district – 10 minutes north

Landmark: A concrete bunker dome protruding from the sidewalk – visible from the street.

Season: Year-round. Indoor temperature is constant.

Time of day: Morning (9:30–11:00 AM) – minimal queuing in corridors. During peak season (June–August), afternoons get cramped in the narrow passages.

Duration: 1–1.5 hours. Reading all panels may take up to 2 hours.

Tip: Visit after Bunk'Art 1 or a communist heritage walking tour – the context helps you understand the exhibition.