Communism in TIRANA | The Ghost of ENVER HOXHA | Albanian Road Trip E8

TIRANA, ALBANIA: Exploring Albania's communist history & learning about dictator Enver Hoxha. I visit the Tirana Pyramid, his villa in the military block zone & a bunker in the city centre.
▶️ More videos from my ALBANIAN ROAD TRIP here → https://bit.ly/AlbanianRoadTrip

Albania was a communist country for almost 50 years beginning at the end of World War II and ending in the early 1990's. It was closed to tourists and most visitors during that period with dictator Enver Hoxha falling out with the rest of the world and building a virtual wall around Albania. His policy was 'nobody comes in, nobody goes out' and he trusted few, mainly because he feared an invasion would come at some point, possibly from an ally. Things were tough in the People's Socialist Republic of Albania.

During this period of isolationism he prepared the country for war, building bunkers all across the land and increased the size of his military. More money was spent on defence meaning that less money was available for other things such as healthcare and education.

30 years ago I would not have been allowed in the country, let alone permitted to walk freely around Tirana and the Block - a former military area where Enver Hoxha lived and worked.

In this video I walk around the important communist locations remembering stories of the past and looking at how those places have changed. These include some old communist statues taken down from prominent areas in the city, the former secret police and surveillance headquarters, military checkpoints and secret underground bunkers, the luxurious villa of dictator Enver Hoxha and the most communist looking structure I've ever seen - the concrete Pyramid of Tirana.

Out of all of them it's the pyramid that draws the most fascination from tourists - a massive concrete structure built following the dictators death in 1985. These days it's cordoned off and abandoned in the middle of the city which should have stopped me from trying to climb it - unfortunately it didn't. The temptation to get closer and scale it was just too much - this relic of communist history may not be around for much longer and I wasn't going to let the opportunity slip away. Climbing the Tirana Pyramid is way more difficult than it looks though and it wasn't long before my fear of heights set it!

No doubt about it Tirana is an interesting city with a fascinating past. If you're curious about Tirana's history or communism in Albania then join me for a tour of the city - we'll investigate together! This is an Albanian Travel Vlog exploring Albania's communist past.

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🇦🇱 My Albanian Road Trip Episode Guide → https://bit.ly/AlbanianRoadTrip
E1 - The Road to BOVILLA LAKE https://youtu.be/A5bSb--vrWA
E2 - Exploring the Historic Town of KRUJË https://youtu.be/f3Kphp-PGLA
E3 - KRUJË MOUNTAIN + Albanian History https://youtu.be/6O9rUb0PdAk
E4 - Walking the Streets of BERAT https://youtu.be/5np_5Ka1JHI
E5 - Village Life Inside BERAT CASTLE https://youtu.be/audsqorAEuY
E6 - DURRËS Beach + Historic City https://youtu.be/5RyHq6TDjEQ
E7 - Showtime in TIRANA + City Tour https://youtu.be/LWJzYPAI9mc
E8 - Communism in TIRANA + Ghost of ENVER HOXHA (currently watching)
E9 - TIRANA Grand Park + DAJTI Mountain Cable Car https://youtu.be/j5VcPocu_2I

Видео Communism in TIRANA | The Ghost of ENVER HOXHA | Albanian Road Trip E8 канала Matt Whiting's Europe