On Dobrošov, repairs of the fortification structures are starting up after winter

Dobrošov - In the pre-war fortress of Dobrošov in the Náchod region, the repair of the fortress buildings is starting up again after winter. Work in the buildings was halted in the fall to protect bats. Over the winter, work continued on the above-ground structure of the future visitor center. Jaroslav Jeništa from the firm providing construction supervision told ČTK today. The reconstruction began last summer and is expected to be completed in June 2021.

The national cultural monument is being repaired by a consortium of firms Solid Care and Gemec-Union. Work underground will pick up where it left off before winter. "Final surface finishing has been completed, meaning tiles have been laid and one can already move around there without any problems. This will be followed by barriers to entry in places where the public has no business," Jeništa told ČTK.

The reconstruction plan includes construction modifications and remediation work on the fortress buildings Zelený, Můstek, Jeřáb, and Polsko, including underground parts. Before winter, builders completed the tiling in the Jeřáb building, as well as the remediation of walls and ceilings. The ceiling beams of the Zelený building have been repaired, and the remediation of the stair shafts is complete. Builders have also installed all underground tanks.

This year, remediation of the remaining fortress buildings is planned, along with the construction of an elevator in the Zelený building and work on engineering network installations. By the end of this year, the barrier-free visitor center with social, technical, and technological facilities of the fortress should also be completed. The center is currently in the rough construction phase. The project includes not only construction modifications but also the restoration of the exhibition and the extension with new exhibits in the above-ground structures of the fortress or lighting.

The total costs, including the procurement of exhibits, furniture, and further equipment, will exceed 94 million crowns. A grant from the European IROP program will be 65.5 million. So far, the region has invested 23.4 million crowns including VAT.

The Hradec Králové region acquired the Dobrošov fortress free of charge from the army in 2015; tours for visitors are provided by the Náchod museum. Before the reconstruction, about 30,000 people visited the fortress annually.

The Dobrošov fortress began construction in September 1937, aiming to protect the republic against Nazi Germany along with other border fortifications. However, the fortress was not completed before the signing of the Munich Agreement which ceded border territories of Czechoslovakia to Germany in September 1938. Workers managed to finish only three out of seven planned buildings. During the Protectorate, the fortress was closed, and after 1945 it was abandoned until the 60s. The first visitors entered the fortress on May 1, 1969.