00:00A paranoid communist dictator in history built hundreds of thousands of bunkers
00:04and bankrupted his country in the process.
00:08It's 1946.
00:10Albania has just survived the devastation of World War II.
00:14The people look to a new leader, Enver Haksha,
00:17who promises to rebuild, modernize, and bring strength to his country.
00:21At first, it works.
00:23He seizes power, builds schools,
00:26and presents himself as a protector of the nation.
00:30But then, the fear begins.
00:35Haksha turns against Yugoslavia, then Moscow, then even China.
00:39Albania is left completely alone.
00:42And in his paranoia, he becomes convinced the West will invade at any moment.
00:46The solution? Bunkers. Thousands of them.
00:49On every street, in every field, along every coastline, by the end.
00:54Over 170,000 concrete bunkers cover the country.
00:58But the invasion never comes.
01:00Instead, Albania sinks into poverty.
01:03Isolated from the world, its people trapped inside a fortress of their leader's imagination.
01:09This is just one story out of a thousand, waiting in the shadows of history.
01:14Follow Vault of Centuries for more untold mysteries, forgotten empires, and hidden truths.
