In autumn 1944, the Eastern Front was drawing dangerously close to eastern Slovakia. In response, fortification work began in Slovakia at the end of September under the supervision of the German army. Slovak civilians were deployed for this work alongside military construction units. In western Slovakia, construction of fortifications began in October 1944 on the border with the German protective zone (Schutzzone). They ran mainly along the main ridge of the Little Carpathians and across the Morava River. At the end of November 1944, the High Command of the German Armed Forces (OKW) issued an order to build the fortifications of Bratislava. Strategically important cities were designated as “Festungen” (fortresses). Bratislava was also included, as it lay directly at the junction of the German defensive lines then under construction – the Südostwall and the Nibelungen Stellung. For this reason, Bratislava became “Festung Pressburg”. The plan was to build a defensive perimeter around the city, enabling Bratislava to withstand encirclement for several months. In Bratislava, older fortifications already in place were to be used so that the defensive positions could be built as quickly as possible. Fortifications already built during the First World War (Kavernen and Unterstände), as well as those from the period of the interwar First Czechoslovak Republic (the bunkers in Petržalka and along the Morava River), were to be incorporated into the defence system. These existing structures were to be linked together by anti-tank ditches and troop trenches, creating unbroken defensive lines. From December 1944, a number of gun positions, trenches, observation posts, roadblocks, and systems of anti-tank and anti-infantry obstacles were built around Bratislava and in western Slovakia. Many of these German elements have survived in the Bratislava Region, but they are gradually giving way to nature, construction, and urbanisation. On the eastern foothills of the Little Carpathians, large concrete cubes can still be found – anti-tank obstacles blocking places near roads – as well as unusual concrete blocks protruding beside the verges of some old roads. These were supporting bases for German roadblocks. If necessary, enormous reinforced-concrete blocks could be pushed off them and into the road, blocking it. Remains of these devices can be seen, for example, on the road to the village of Píla, from Modra-Harmónia to the Piesok area, in Vinosady, at the beginning of Limbach, at both the beginning and the end of Svätý Jur, in Bratislava on Janoškova Street, on Vrakunská cesta in the Pod gaštanmi area, and in Petržalka. In Svätý Jur, there are also German anti-tank obstacles known as “dragon’s teeth”, the only surviving examples from the defence of Bratislava. Among the gun positions, the Kugelstände and “anti-tank walls” are certainly worth mentioning. A Kugelstand (or Kugelbunker) is shaped like a hollow concrete sphere with what looks like the top cut off. Kugelbunker were sunk to ground level, connected by lines of trenches, and served as fortified machine-gun nests. They can often be seen dug out and overturned upside down. A few can be found in Viničné, Senec, and Čierna Voda, but by far the largest number is in Petržalka, in Starý háj. Lush vegetation and flood deposits from the Danube, however, have now almost swallowed up these relics. They are still visible at two military museums: one at bunker B-S 6 (excavated), and three at bunker B-S 4 (sunk into the ground). Anti-tank walls are thick reinforced-concrete walls with embrasures set into the centre for a 4.5 cm anti-tank gun. These Soviet guns, designed for use in fortresses, were widely deployed in such gun positions during the defence of Bratislava. Many of the walls have disappeared as the city expanded, but a number can still be found. One stands on the slope on Martinengova Street, two on Zátišie Street between Tetmayerova and Halašova, and remains can also be found at Kuchajda and on Turbínová Street. The largest concentration, however, is in Petržalka, where there are four. In 2024, one of these Petržalka walls, which stood in the way of a tram line under construction, was successfully excavated and moved a few metres further away. This achievement is a fine example of cooperation between enthusiasts, the city, and the investor, and shows how history and new construction can be handled side by side. Petržalka has by far the greatest concentration of fortification remains in a single area. At bunker B-S 4 there are Kugelbunker; at B-S 6 there is a Kugelbunker and Kochbunker; B-S 7 has a unique training tank target (a brick-built tank) and an anti-tank wall nearby; and at B-S 8 there are two anti-tank walls, as well as one multi-purpose concrete base for a gun. The unique layout and concentration of fortification elements in the north-western and western parts of Petržalka, between bunkers B-S 1 and B-S 9, make this area ideal for the creation of an attractive educational wartime trail.
Second World War
