Day 137
Location 26: Tirana, Albania
Mar. 17, 2023
At the peak of Albania’s era of totalitarianism, the government built an underground bunker to protect the leaders of its secret policing state in case of a nuclear attack that ultimately never came. Although calling this place a bunker is like saying My Cousin Vinny is a good movie—it’s an understatement.
The network of tunnels stretch out impossibly far, like the limbs of Victor Wembanyama, with secret rooms, emergency exits, and even a full-blown theater where government employees could gather to watch Joe Pesci magically turn a dirtbag buffoon of a lawyer into an undeniably lovable and believably competent hero. What a performance.
Despite the awe it inspires, this human subway system has a grim history. For years, the bunker existed as a symbol of the propaganda that strategically misled Albanian citizens in an effort to strengthen loyalty to the state. Because the roots of this deception extended so deep and strong, its impact can still be felt today. Take, for example, the exhibit trying to convince me the photo below is of Ramadan Citaku, and not Pedro Pascal with a sepia filter. But they can’t fool me.
