Exotic Factory Tour

[gmerkt]

Polichan is a plant in Albania, which was built during communists' regime

Polichan is a plant in Albania, which is an example of the power that the communist regime carried. The plant impresses with its scale and equipment.

www.urbextour.com

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[gmerkt]

Online articles about this former plant say it was built by the Chinese. Yet in one of the pictures, I see a machine that says "Manhurin" on it. Which is a French company.

Years ago, I used to visit an independent ammunition manufacturer. One time, I noticed several large, wooden crates sitting in his parking lot. Some of them were in the unpacking phase. I mean these were large boxes, made out of plywood, like moving companies sometimes used for storage. The boxes had come from St. Louis Army Ammunition Plant and the contents had been sold as surplus. Big, green, cast iron machines such as are shown in the pictures to the linked article above. I don't know if this company ever put them to use. Some of these machines were for making cartridge brass, something a small manufacturer wouldn't ordinarily undertake.

Taking in this site as a tourist attraction would be exotic. I'd think most Americans would think any kind of trip to Albania would be exotic. It's still a backward country. I wouldn't mind visiting Korçë and seeing the Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral. Once there, I'm sure you would find many interesting things to see but I'd avoid the towns where the Communists tried to force the establishment of heavy industry. Or places where in post-Communist times, Italian companies have set up incinerators to burn Italian trash in Albania.