The territory of the abandoned military base of the Soviet troops

 derelict place / object, ghost town, closed / former military

At the entrance to the Vlorë Bay there is the Sazani Island, which has an area of ​​5 km². The island has been a strategic place for all times and states due to its geographical position. At different times, the island of Sazani was in the possession of Rome, the Ottoman Empire, Greece, Italy and even Germany. In the Middle Ages, it belonged to the Venetian Republic, after the Napoleonic Wars, according to the terms of the Paris Peace Treaty of 1815, it became part of the British protectorate (together with the Ionian Islands). In 1864, the Ionian Islands and Sazani Island were transferred to Greece. After the second Balkan War in 1913, Italy and Austria forced Greece to evacuate the population of southern Albania, including the population from the island of Sazani. On October 30, 1914, the island was occupied by Italy, which placed its military post on it, and on April 26, 1915, a treaty concluded in London, confirmed the transfer of the island to Italy, Albania lost its independence. After World War I, Albania gained independence, but according to the Albanian-Italian Protocol of September 2, 1920, the island was ceded to Italy. During the Second World War in 1943-1944, the island was occupied by German troops. According to the Paris Peace Treaty with Italy on February 10, 1947, Sazani was transferred to Albania and the island came under the control of the Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha, who in the 1950s ordered the admission of the allies (in particular, the USSR) to the military base built on the island. Before the emergence of political differences in 1960-1961 between the USSR and Albania, the island was used to house the Soviet naval forces. There are currently over 3,600 bunkers on Sazan, and the underground infrastructure consists of tunnels, a cinema, a school and a hospital. During the latest NATO-Albanian joint military exercises, the island was used as a bombing target, destroying a number of ground structures, including a 1930s villa built for Italian leader Benito Mussolini. Today the island, rich in vegetation and once considered one of the most beautiful parts of Albania, is in decline. The abandoned military base of Albania, located on the strategically important island of Sazani in the Adriatic Sea, has opened to the general public. Local authorities have decided to turn Sazani Island into a tourist attraction. According to the head of the state body in charge of the territory, Auron Tare, the island will remain a military base, but will be open to the public.