The bunkers at Darkovičky

VIn the 1930s, in the gently rolling landscape between Opava and Ostravsko, military strategists were expecting the greatest onslaught of a young Czechoslovakia by German troops. To this day, the fields and meadows in the area are scattered with concrete bunkers ranging from small shelters for a few men, to proper forts in which dozens of soldiers prepared themselves for battle.

Visitors can get an idea of how Czechoslovakia prepared for the onslaught at Darkovičky near Hlučín. One of the bunkers open to the public is the Jaroš bunker, where over thirty men were to have fought inside. A short distance from this bunker is another similar fort—František—which, just like the Jaroš bunker, is being maintained today by military history enthusiasts.

Those interested in military fortifications can follow the nature trail, “Po linii Československého opevnění na Hlučinsku” (“Along the Line of the Czechoslovak Fortifications in Hlučínsko”).