Bunk'Art 2

Bunk'Art 2, a bunker-museum in the heart of Tirana

Right in the centre of Tirana, just beside the Ministry of the Interior, an astonishing underground bunker has been turned into a museum: Bunk'Art 2. It plunges the visitor into the history of repression under the Albanian communist regime. The Tirana audio-guided tour descends here to convey the workings of a police state, sheltered from daylight.

From bunkers to memory

Built in the 1980s, at the end of the regime, this bunker is one of the countless shelters with which Enver Hoxha covered the country, haunted by fear of an invasion. If it is called Bunk'Art 2, it is because there is a Bunk'Art 1, set in a vast anti-nuclear bunker on the outskirts of the capital. Bunk'Art 2 focuses on the history of the political police and surveillance, close to power.

What to see

The museum unfolds, room after room, the history of repression and control of the population under the dictatorship. Photographs, objects and reconstructions tell of the daily life of fear and the scale of the surveillance system. Smaller than Bunk'Art 1, Bunk'Art 2 has the advantage of being in the heart of the city, making it an accessible stop to understand twentieth-century Albania.

Practical information

Bunk'Art 2 lies right in the centre of Tirana, near the Ministry of the Interior and Skanderbeg Square, reachable on foot. A museum set in a bunker, it can be visited; as its opening hours and prices may vary with the season, it is best to check them before coming. As the space is underground, expect stairs and a cooler temperature than on the surface.

What is the difference between Bunk'Art 1 and Bunk'Art 2?

Bunk'Art 1 occupies a vast anti-nuclear bunker on the outskirts of Tirana, while Bunk'Art 2, smaller and right in the centre, focuses mainly on the history of the political police and surveillance.

What do you discover at Bunk'Art 2?

The history of repression and surveillance under the communist regime, through photographs, objects and reconstructions displayed in an underground bunker.