The Temples of an Atheist State
Albania, under the leadership of Enver Hoxha, was declared the world’s first atheist state in 1967. Every single place of worship had been destroyed or converted into other uses, such as cinemas, warehouses or sports halls. On the other hand, in the period from the 1960s to the 1980s, Hoxha carried out a programme of country’s bunkerisation, which resulted in the construction of a total of 750,000 bunkers in every corner of Albania. The bunkers were abandoned following the collapse of communism in 1990. Today the bunkers of Albania resemble the abandoned ruins of ancient temples, which sometimes surrealistically supplement the urban or rural landscapes of the country.
Photos and text by Oleksandr Rupeta
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- The girls stand in the courtyard near the bunker, Morave, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- Abandoned bunkers on the seacoast, Durres, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- The owner of the cafe drinks wine in the backyard of his cafe, Berat, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- A bunker as part of a hotel wall, Saranda, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- A bunker near Jorgucat, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- Shopkeeper stands under the bunker, Mesopotam, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- The bunker is used to store church utensils in the churchyard, Bistrica, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- The bunker under the water on the outskirts of Tirana, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- A gypsy with a horse stands by a bunker, Gjirokaster, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
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- An abandoned bunker on the coast near Borsh, Albania © Oleksandr Rupeta
