SAM Missile Base [Urbex]

The base, built in the first half of the 1980s, was intended for the anti-aircraft defence of Prague and the Central Bohemian Region against NATO air attack. It was equipped with the then modern S-200 Vega missiles. It covers an area of about one and a half square kilometres in the middle of forests to the south-west of Prague. From the outset, it was a project of dubious value, on which huge resources were spent and which in the end was of no use. To illustrate this, I am enclosing an extract from the memoirs of one of the soldiers on basic duty who was involved in the construction.

"I had the opportunity to get an up-close look at the hopelessness of the workings of totalitarian power. With other graduates of civilian universities, we agreed that the conditions during the construction of Klondike were very similar to the reality of the gulag described in Solzhenitsyn's literary work. Although by the mid-1980s socialism was running out of breath, considerable money was flowing into the construction of Klondike. It was said, however, that the cost of building the entire facility was negligible compared to the cost of the Soviet military technology that was installed there. In contrast to this fact, the living conditions of ordinary soldiers were very miserable. We were accommodated in wooden prefabricated one-story barracks. For safety reasons, the barracks were not officially allowed to have heating. Running cold water was a rarity, with hot water only for the officers. In early 1985, the water supply to the dormitories froze for several weeks. That's when I discovered that regular personal hygiene was unnecessary comfort. Food distribution was organized in one large "hangar", rats scurrying happily among the lunching soldiers. The quality of the food was very poor, as there was perhaps even more corruption than in civilian life. It was also difficult to maintain even a minimum of military discipline. Long-term escapes were frequent. Ragged and dirty soldiers also often roamed the countryside and greatly annoyed and slightly terrorized the population of the surrounding villages."

The base was abandoned by the army after 2000 and today its bare ruins are overgrown with trees. According to some sources, a photovoltaic power plant is to be built in the area, but this would be just another project of dubious value. 

Entrance to one of the missile bunkers. 

Side entrance to one of the secondary bunkers. These are scattered all over the place. 

A generator inside one of the shelters. 

Another one of the missile bunkers. 

Radar platform struts

The frame of a fake bush to fool enemy satellites and reconnaissance planes. 

They used to be covered with camouflage netting and randomly placed in the area.

S-200 missile guidance radar platform.

In the event of an emergency, a truck-mounted radar was brought onto the platform. 

The Vega missiles were then put on standby by being taken to the launch pad and filled with fuel. 

Autopark where trucks were prepared for handling missiles and radar assemblies. 

Fuel station for vehicles servicing the base. 

Some "street art" on top of one of the platforms.