Command Bunker of the Kukes District

The former command post, shelter for the municipal administration, and civil defence headquarters of the city of Kukës. Also known as the “underground city of Kukës”. Local legends about seven kilometres of tunnels running beneath the city have not been confirmed by the Urbex Albania team, though the reason such stories emerged is clear enough. Kukës does indeed have several large underground facilities, but they were never connected to one another. The other facilities have been added to the site’s database.

A local enthusiast who speaks only Albanian runs semi-legal tours of the bunker at an unjustifiably steep price. The tours last about half an hour and do not cover the full site. He shows only the bunker itself, while a tunnel leading from it into a section of the so-called “underground city” goes unvisited. The place can be explored independently if you choose a non-touristy time — the door is simply unlocked. The advantage of a self-guided visit is that you can see more than on the “tour” and are not constrained by time.

The facility is fairly extensive and interesting, in moderate condition. Blast doors at the entrances and working rooms have been preserved. The rooms are closed off by thin concrete doors and furnished with concrete tables. In the “underground city” section you can see large halls designed to shelter the city’s residents, unfinished technical rooms, and unexplored tunnels heading towards the city centre.