In Albania today there is one bunker for every four inhabitants. Built during the 40-year rule of Stalinist Enver Hoxha, the more than 700 above-ground bunkers that dot the skyline were never used for defense, for which they were intended. Now they serve as a reminder of Hoxha's dictatorship.
Photographer David Gallyard was working on the photo series "Cold War Bunkers 2008" when a fellow journalist told him about the Albanian bunkers. After a short search, Galjard knew he had to go to Albania to see them in person.
"My intention was to find out what effects these bunkers had on the landscape of Albania, and what it meant for the people, their collective memory, how these 'pill boxes' provoke them and remind them of the dark past," Galjard wrote.
After his first trip, he knew there was a bigger and more interesting story to tell than he had originally expected.
"In October 2009, I returned. During this trip, I decided that the bunkers would be a metaphor for the story of a country in transition. Since then, it is no longer a story about bunkers, but about the history, present and future of Albania," he said.
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