Standing near the largest mountain range of the Czech Republic that stretches from north to south of the republic, you get lost, trying to figure out where to go. There is so much choice. My last trip was supposed to be a quiet walk through the sights but turned into an extreme and enthusiastic adventure, which I do not regret at all. As an alternative, we went to the city of Trutnov. It was first mentioned in the chronicle in 1260, and since 1301 the name of the city sounds like Trautenau in the German manner. The city is located on the Upa River, which, like all mountain rivers, floods in the spring. The city, which previously stood on the very shore, was later moved further from the river. When you come to the town of Trutnov, the first excursion offer you get is to the Stachelberg Fortress and we will not break with tradition. 


At the end of the 30s of the 20th century, when the war was about to start, the leadership of Czechoslovakia decided to create a system of defensive fortifications in order to protect people and military equipment during hostilities. From 1934 to 1937, this idea was developed, plans were drawn and drawings were ordered (all of this can be seen at the exhibition). But as soon as the work began, the Munich 1938 non-aggression pact, the invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia by Germany disrupted all the plans of the builders. There is a three-dimensional model of what the fortress might look like if it were completed. In addition, men of any age will like to see a collection of weapons from the times of the Czechoslovak Republic. Underground tunnels and fortifications are interesting for anyone. Of course, in the completed phase, everything would have looked even larger. But the fact that the military genius of the command laid the foundation for such a grand fortification suggests that the country was preparing for war and understood its inevitability. In 2014, the observation tower Eliska was built on the territory of the fortress. It is located at an altitude of 632 meters above sea level. So the museum is not forgotten at all. And it is great because there can be no future without the past.