About Quick summary

Gjirokastër, known since antiquity, is a city of stone houses under tiled roofs and the birthplace of Enver Hoxha. Its closeness to Greece made the district one of the most militarised in the south, and plenty of Cold War traces remain around it: a tank brigade base with underground garages, artillery positions, anti-aircraft posts, fields of mushroom bunkers and the district command bunker beneath the main city hill.

Must see in Gjirokastër region Picks by the Urbex Albania team

All abandoned places in Gjirokastër region 10 locations

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Air Defense Position G-TY on the Castle
Military

Air Defense Position G-TY on the Castle

Gjirokastër

An anti-aircraft emplacement set atop a hill, built within the outline of an ancient fortress foundation — gun pads, radar pits, and sweeping mountain views.

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Field of Bunkers
Bunkers

Field of Bunkers

Gjirokastër

A hill scattered with mushroom bunkers of all shapes and sizes, threaded together by trenches — with artillery shelter domes and arched storage structures standing nearby.

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Coal Processing Plant
Industrial

Coal Processing Plant

Gjirokastër

An abandoned coal processing facility near a flooded mine — its crumbling concrete skeleton, tilted conveyor gallery, and massive washing tanks compose a striking post-apocalyptic tableau.

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Brick Factory G-EV
Industrial

Brick Factory G-EV

Gjirokastër

A communist-era brick factory that is the best-preserved abandoned brickworks in Albania — metal rails, trolleys, moulding machines and structural ironwork still stand intact inside.

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Command Bunker of the Gjirokastra District
Bunkers

Command Bunker of the Gjirokastra District

Gjirokastër

A former civil-defence command post for the city of Gjirokastra, buried inside a hillside tunnel network. Official tours are available, but outside tourist season the bunker can be explored freely through an unlocked door.

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Brick Factory G-N
Industrial

Brick Factory G-N

Gjirokastër

A picturesque communist-era brick factory nestled near the mountains, where some buildings still serve the locals as shelter for livestock and hay — while blackberry thickets guard the way in.

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Storage Tunnels G-DZ
Bunkers

Storage Tunnels G-DZ

Gjirokastër

Two former military storage tunnels dug into a hillside — the terrace in front of them opens onto a fine view, and inside it stays cool even in the height of summer.

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Tank Base with Underground Garages G
Military

Tank Base with Underground Garages G

Gjirokastër

A former Albanian army tank brigade base at the foot of a hill, with six underground tunnel-garages, a command bunker, and a handful of rusting APCs still on site.

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City Diesel Power Station G-W
Industrial

City Diesel Power Station G-W

Gjirokastër

A city diesel power station that once supplied the centre with backup electricity — inside are the remains of six Czechoslovak generators by Škoda and ČKD, plus the transformer and switchboard rooms.

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Air Defense Position G-XG with a Bunker
Military

Air Defense Position G-XG with a Bunker

Gjirokastër

A hill riddled with tunnels on every side and at every level — anti-aircraft emplacements on top, ruined barracks, fortified gun positions, and passages that vanish into the overgrowth.

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Urban exploration across Albania

Urbex Albania is a growing catalog of abandoned places in Albania — communist-era bunkers, disused factories, forgotten military sites and other urbex locations. Each location page includes photos, background and GPS coordinates.

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