Storage Tunnels in a Gorge

Epic underground storage for weapons and ammunition, set within a picturesque gorge. A partially overgrown winding path branches off from the mountain road. A few dozen metres downhill lies an overgrown checkpoint with a watchtower standing atop a bunker. Beyond it comes an old bridge over a mountain stream and a half-ruined barracks. Further on, the gorge opens up: steep cliffs reach toward the sky while the ravine plunges sharply downward. Along the left cliff face a concrete balcony has been constructed, wide enough for a truck to pass through and turn around. From the balcony, enormous storage chambers cut deep into the rock, sealed behind thick metal doors.

The underground ammunition storage base consists of three independent large tunnels, each roughly 150 metres long and 20 metres wide. A separate block housed a diesel generator for autonomous power supply — today only the plinth remains. The walls and ceilings of the storage chambers are clad in photogenic corrugated concrete panels. On the floors, outlines have been painted in white to mark where ammunition crates were to be stacked. Concrete blocks are lined along the walls to raise wooden crates off the ground as protection against moisture.

The first and third blocks are positioned on either side of the second and resemble each other closely. Past the blast door lies a small technical room, followed by the main storage hall. The first block has the most spacious hall; in the third block, part of the space is divided by brick partition walls. The second block housed the shared ventilation system for all three blocks, and also features the finest internal subdivisions. At the entrance to the second block stands a blast door fitted with deadbolts — indicating that personnel were expected to shelter in this block. The entrances to the first and third blocks have doors with no locking mechanism; only an external padlock could have been fitted. At the entrance to the diesel generator block, the door and remnants of the ventilation system are also preserved.

In the view of the Urbex Albania team, this place is one of the most scenic in the storage tunnels category.