A derelict military base off the coast of Albania, filled with bunkers and tunnels designed to withstand a nuclear attack, is to become the country's newest tourist attraction this summer.

Sazan Island is still technically an operational military base, with two sailors remaining on the two-square-mile isle to offer shelter to navies patrolling Albanian waters. But it is a far cry from the days when more than 3,000 troops were stationed there with enough food, ammunition and fuel to last six months.

The tunnels and bunkers that riddle it are testament to the former communist state’s fears of a Western invasion during the Cold War. The Italian army was stationed here in the Thirties, while in the Fifties the base was used to monitor the movement of Italian and American ships – a villa housing such equipment remains.

But now it is being touted by Albania’s National Coastal Agency as a lure for tourists.

“What once was an isolated, unreached spot, a mystery to almost all Albanians but a few then-communist leaders, may now turn into an attractive place, especially for foreign tourists,” said Auron Tare, of the newly-formed state organisation.

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Tourism only accounts for 4.8 per cent of Albania’s GDP and the government is keen for this figure to grow. Tare is inviting “Western ambassadors” to visit Sazan this summer in the hope it will cultivate excitement about the area.



The island is off the coast of Albania in the Adriatic Sea (Photo: AP)

The island’s ruined buildings still contain old beds, kitchen utensils, school benches and chairs, while Italian floor tiles can still be seen in some places. The villa of communist defence minster Beqir Balluku, who was executed by dictator Enver Hoxka as a traitor in 1974, also remains.

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Much of the island’s dereliction has occurred over the last 25 years, since Albania became democratic. The now-empty ammunition and fuel depots were looted in 1997, when turmoil followed the collapse of pyramid investment schemes that bankrupted Europe's poorest population. More recently a cinema and former command building were destroyed during joint military exercises with British troops.



The island requires some work before opening to tourists this summer (Photo: AP)

The island needs power and drinking water before it is hospitable for tourists but Tare has plans for its future, including repurposing Sazan’s anti-nuclear tunnels as wine cellars. He said an international school or research centre for underwater or coastal heritage is also possible. A proposal from Las Vegas investors for a casino on the island has been rejected.