{"id":45,"date":"2012-12-01T21:06:52","date_gmt":"2012-12-01T20:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dabberty.com\/?p=45"},"modified":"2025-01-25T23:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T22:25:12","slug":"20121201-weekend-hike-at-a-deserted-russian-military-airbase-milovice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dabberty.com\/?p=45","title":{"rendered":"2012\/12\/01 – Weekend hike at a deserted Russian military airbase (Milovice)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On this trip Ondrej and me went to the deserted Russian military airbase at Milovice.<\/span>
\nBut before I start with the details and pictures, here a brief history of this area.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1904 a training area of 3465 ha land was constructed by the Austrian army.<\/em><\/span>
\n A surrounding village was moved (with force) to make place for this training area.<\/em><\/span>
\n The ruins of the villages where used for target\u00a0practice.<\/em><\/span>
\n During WWI about 46.000 Italian and Russian prisoners of war where kept here.<\/em><\/span>
\n During WWII, the German army in 1939 used this area and moved more villages to expand the area.<\/em><\/span>
\n After WWII in 1945 the Czechoslovakia army used the area and also expanded it by including another village to the area.<\/em><\/span>
\n In 1968 the Russian army replaced the Czechoslovakian army, and stayed until 1991 when they abandoned the area.<\/em><\/span>
\n During the\u00a0Russian\u00a0occupation there where more then 100.000 soldiers with their families living in this\u00a0military\u00a0airbase.<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n
Every since it is abandone<\/em>d, and metal thieves have stripped down almost all metal, and the are is used by people who play paintball or airsoft. Also some of the airplane bunkers are privatly owned by people who use the airstrip for the ultralight airplanes<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n

So let’s begin.<\/span>
\n Here is an overview of what I took with me for a 1 night trip.
\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We arrived Saturday evening, and walked through the\u00a0abandoned village \/ city, which was quite creepy to be honest. Once we arrived in the forest, we setup camp, and collected wood for the fire.
\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once we had had enough, we sat down, relaxed and made some tea, sausages and bacon on the fire.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Not too long after we went sleep in our hammocks. It was during the night -3 celcius.
\nI forgot my diy fleece over-socks, and as a resulted my feet where freezing.
\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Around 07.00 am I decided to get out and make a fire and warm up my feet, and start with breakfast. Ondrej soon woke up as well and we had some nice tea with rice for breakfast.
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I tried to carve a spoon but failed with that, as it broke in half…<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is our sleeping setup, Ondrej on the left, me on the right. I closed the ends as that’s where a slight breeze came from during the night.<\/span>
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After we packed everything up, we wiped out all our traces so no one would ever know we where there. (the campfire was in front of us, the hammocks on the tree’s behind us)<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We soon arrived at the abandoned village \/ city, and moved from building to building.
\nThese where just apartments for the people of the village.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Here we are standing in the\u00a0gym hall\u00a0of the school.<\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here is the theater.<\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here a nice big house, but starting to collapse already as you will see a bit further.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Inside the house I found this Russian economical newspaper from 1988.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Then we moved more out of the city \/ village, towards the airstrip.<\/span>
\nThis is a huge hanger, also collapsing partially, with moss all over the concrete floor.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The control tower of the airstrip.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We on top of the roof of the control tower, with the airstrip behind us.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next to the airstrip where several buildings, I liked how the tree was growing inside the barrel.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And in front of the entrance of this house, was a natural “fence” of young tree’s in a straight line..<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here some more hangers, some in good state, some collapsing like this one.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here you see the bunkers for the airplane’s, some are closed, some are open.\u00a0<\/span>
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The previous hangers again, with in the far background the village \/ city.<\/span>
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In one of the big heavy doors of the airplane bunkers, was growing these young tree’s…<\/span>
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Here is a airplane bunker that is open.<\/span>
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The airstrip is huge, with 1 main strip, and on each side a smaller strip. It ends in the back where the tree’s are slightly visible. This airstrip was meant for the big old Russian airplanes that transported tanks etc, and they needed a long strip to take off and land on.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the route we walked. On Saturday evening we walked about 5.5 km in the dark, (the red dotted line), and Sunday around 10 km (the blue line).<\/span>
\n I marked the sleeping place with a red arrow.<\/span>
\n On Saturday evening we stayed mainly on the roads, because there where several holes in the ground, and also the covers of sewage holes where already removed by metal thieves, so it would be quite dangerous to walk anywhere else except for the main roads.<\/span>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here is the video of this hike.<\/span>
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