The Buddha bunker.
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In the late 1930s, then-Czechoslovakia built 5,000 bunkers along its border with the German Reich. Today, the Czech army wants to get rid of them, he said Deutsche Welle. He sells them at auction. Prices start at 1,000 euros, Deutsche Welle reports.
In the late 1930s, then-Czechoslovakia built a network of bunkers along its border with the German Reich. And although the fortifications were not yet fully completed in September 1938, they were still a key obstacle for the Wehrmacht, which worried the Nazi generals a great deal.
But although Prague mobilized 1.1 million troops and put its army on alert, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his French counterpart Edouard Daladier signed an agreement with Adolf Hitler on September 29 and 30, 1938 in Munich. It obliged Czechoslovakia to transfer to the Third Reich its entire border area, which was then inhabited by a significant German minority.
In this way, the border fortifications fell into the hands of the Nazis. Without them, Czechoslovakia was virtually defenseless, which greatly eased the Nazi occupation on March 15, 1939. Paradoxically, later, in the spring of 1945, the bunkers assisted the German occupiers in fighting the Red Army. The battles along the fortifications seriously slowed down the Soviet offensive and cost the lives of thousands of Soviet soldiers.
They are of no military significance
Since 2000, the Czech Republic’s army has gradually begun to liberate itself from the fortifications. In two ways – either by selling to private individuals, or by transferring their property to regions or municipalities. “We have 4993 small bunkers,” said Petar Sikora of the Czech Ministry of Defense.
As these facilities no longer have any military significance, in the meantime one third of them have changed their owners – so far 1767 smaller sites and 112 larger ones have been transferred or sold. The Czech army wants to get rid of everyone. “Only a few will be preserved to serve as warehouses,” Sikora explained.
–1938: Artillery fortification “Hurka”.
More and more sales
Year after year, new and new objects for sale appear on the website of the Czech Army. “Prices start at 1,000 euros and reach several thousand,” Sikora said. And because the objects are sold at auction, their price can easily increase. However, interest in bunkers is constantly growing – especially if they are located, for example, in wine regions.
Some of the bunkers have been turned into museums, which are very popular among tourists – both from the Czech Republic and from abroad. One of the most visited is the Hurka artillery fortification on the border with Poland. “In July and August alone, we had over 20,000 visitors,” said Martin Rabon of the Society of Friends of Czechoslovak Fortifications.
Unique historical monuments
Rabon is not opposed to the sale of bunkers to private individuals – but points out that there are no roads to the facilities in some places, and the ownership of the surrounding areas is often unclear. “Buying something like that is pointless,” says Rabon, who has been increasingly sought after by prospective buyers. “We recommend that potential buyers first secure the land around the relevant sites.”
Some of the facilities, such as the Buda Artillery Fortress, are cultural monuments of the Czech Republic. “But the defensive line is generally protected as a monument,” Rabon said. “From then on, it makes sense for the army to sell. But the future fate of these unique monuments must be certain. Because they witnessed the patriotic enthusiasm of the Czechs in the late 1930s.”
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