Albania: This country’s Cold War paranoia left it riddled with bunkers. Now they’re coming back to life

Tirana CNN — Walk by the home of Albania’s former communist dictator Enver Hoxha in central Tirana and you may not even know it. His regime’s mistrust of communist allies, use of state surveillance, and Stalinist-style brutality earned Albania the unflattering nickname, the “North Korea of Europe.” After Hoxha’s 44-year reign of terror ended in 1985 – and communist rule ended in the 1990s — Albania inherited as many as 221,143 bunkers and military objects, which for decades have served as solemn reminders of darker days — until recently. He shows the way through the dining hall’s imposing doorway, the preserved main entrance to the original barracks, and proclaims, “Old is gold,” while making a sweeping gesture of his surroundings — the ivory-washed brick walls, original concrete columns with the dates ‘82 and ‘76 etched into them, and green grenade crates that now hold wine glasses. One of the framed mementos is an old list of soldier’s rations on a piece of paper, browned and wrinkled by age, which reads: “120 grams meat, 200 grams bread, 100 grams pasta…” In the spirit of the soldiers once stationed here, Shehu has maintained a military mess hall decorum, serving guests traditional Albanian dhallë in aluminum canteen cups, and using trays and pans from military field kits to serve dishes of duck, pasta and flija, a traditional Albanian dish consisting of countless layers of crepes, typically made slowly over a wooden fire. “​​Albania had one of the world’s harshest communist regimes,” remembers Eni Koco, 50, the founder of tour group Albania My Way, who lived during those years.