Hanička, Artillery fort in Rokytnice v Orlických horách, Czech Republic.
Hanička is a Czech artillery fort in the Orlické Mountains, near Horní Rokytnice in Rokytnice v Orlických horách. The underground structure consists of six combat blocks linked by long tunnels and chambers that run beneath the surface of the hillside.
The fort was built in the late 1930s as part of a line of Czechoslovak border defenses intended to stop an attack from the north. After the Munich Agreement of 1938, it was handed over to German forces without a single shot being fired.
The name Hanička comes from a small nearby settlement and was used as a friendly nickname for the fort, which surprises many visitors expecting a more military-sounding title. Today the site works as a museum where you walk through the original rooms and corridors and get a real sense of how soldiers spent their days underground.
The fort can only be visited on a guided tour, so checking the available times before you arrive is a good idea. The underground sections stay very cool throughout the year, so bring a warm layer regardless of the season.
In the 1960s, part of the underground complex was secretly converted by the Federal Ministry of Interior into a nuclear bunker given the codename Kahan. This hidden section was intended to serve as a government command point in the event of a nuclear conflict.
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