Cold War

During the Cold War, when Europe was divided into two power blocs, Slovakia’s western border lay directly on the line of the so-called “Iron Curtain” – the physical division between East and West. To separate these two worlds, border zones and engineered border barriers were established, while both existing and new military structures were also used to defend the border. The existing sites were, in particular, the Czechoslovak fortifications from the late 1930s, built during the First Czechoslovak Republic: the light fortification structures stretching along the Morava River, as well as the heavy fortifications in Bratislava-Petržalka. The bunkers were reactivated by the army, maintained, and kept ready for use. New structures were also built, such as observation posts and underground military-engineering shelters, along with larger facilities, including anti-aircraft missile defence bases. There were eight anti-aircraft missile units (PLTRO) in western Slovakia: Lozorno, Senec, Rohovce, Dunajská Lužná, Stupava, Devínska Kobyla, Rusovce, and Most pri Bratislave. There was also a ninth site in Viničné, but there were no gun positions here; instead, it housed a technical unit where missiles were stored and tested. The best known is probably the missile base at Devínska Kobyla, popularly known as the raketovka. It was equipped with S-125 M Neva anti-aircraft missiles, which were stored in groups of four in large reinforced-concrete bunkers, or “silos”. After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the raketovka remained in operation until 1997. Since then, it has slowly been giving way to nature and vandals. Today, the entire site is derelict and has been stripped of equipment. Despite its poor condition, volunteer work is under way to repair one structure, where the Museum of Air Defence is planned.