77 – Brdy Bunkers – Dog Walks Prague

For fit dogs who are used to long trecks with their humans! Enjoy an 18K hike amidst the pine forests and wild heather of Brdy, and take a look at various disused military bunkers en route.

During the post-war period, after the establishment of an independent Czechoslovakia, the Brdy area, once popular among hikers and artists, was commandeered by the government as a military training ground. Protests were held in vain and in 1928, hundreds of acres of trees were felled manually to create vast target practice zones for shooting and shelling, complete with massive concrete bunkers. It was feared that the natural beauty of this magnificent forest would be completely destroyed by the military activity. Instead, as Nature reclaimed the abandoned grounds, over the decades, a whole new flora has evolved, filling the craters and surrounding the bunkers. When buffeted with strong winds in wild, wet weather, these heaths may appear bleak and deserted but in Summer, they are home to rabbits, lizards and even snakes.