Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Modern Durrës




All over  Albania one finds these old concrete bunkers.  They're relics of the communist Enver Hoxha era.  Most were constructed after Albania left the Warsaw Pact.  The "Bar Berlin" sign is covering up the slit in the front.  This looks to be a command bunker, and it would have it its line of sight one or more single-person bunkers.   Command bunkers were manned all the time, and had radio contact with command posts high on a mountain.  The single-person bunkers would only be manned in the event of an invasion, and had two slits, one to shoot from and one to see the command bunker for orders.  They are well constructed and difficult to remove, apparently.  They're used for feed storage, sleeping places, outhouses, souvenir stands, and who knows what else.

The second picture is present day Durrës spread out to the east.  Albania is a very rugged mountainous country.  There is a central valley which extends from Durrës east to Tirana and then more or less southerly to Vlorë, and is by far the most populated portion of the country.  I'm strictly guessing, but I imagine the area between Durres and Tirana comprises 2%, at most, of Albanian land area, and 90% of its population.   The picture is taken from King Zog's ruined palace, right by the Adriatic.

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