The councilor wants to abolish anti-nuclear shelters in Prague. Useless for 100 million a year, he says
The Prague underground is interwoven with hundreds of anti-nuclear shelters. These are the last rescue sites designed to protect the people of the metropolis when a nuclear warhead explodes there. The shelters were created in the 1950s and 1960s in response to the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. But they also stopped pulling down the Iron Curtain and another thirty years of freedom. Now, however, the Prague deputy Pavel Vyhnánek (Prague himself) wants to abolish a large part of them.
The idea comes as councilors plan for next year’s budget. Vyhnánek, who is the deputy for finance for the first year, finds out how much the city spends on maintaining shelters. According to Petr Hlubuček Security Square (STAN), there is a total of 60 million crowns a year. But the expulsion speaks of up to one hundred million.
“Millions of crowns for ten powers of money, which we will use the best money elsewhere. That is why I strive for Prague to muster the courage, cough up shelters and invest its own in a more reasonable way,” said Vyhnánek.
According to him, the city throws this money out the window, for several reasons. For example, councilors claim that only a tiny percentage of Praguers can fit in the shelter anyway. He is right that in the event of a conflict, not all the residents and visitors of the metropolis would actually go underground. But it is impossible to say that very few of them would find refuge in their hiding places.
There are 768 permanent shelters with a total capacity of 150,000 people in Prague. When added to them is the metro protection system, which can hide 332 thousand people, and the Strahov tunnel with a capacity of 15 thousand people, about 40 percent of the population of Prague could theoretically hide underground. For comparison, the Central Bohemian Region, for example, has prepared covers for even three percent of the local population.
It is interesting that in the event of an attack, the people of Prague would not have pre-country advantages. Absolute equality would apply when entering the shelter. There would be no difference in age or gender, let alone whether the person lives in the vicinity of the shelter, somewhere else in Prague, or is just visiting the metropolis.
The Cold War is over
Vyhnánek talks about the abolition of about 200 shelters owned by the city and claims that “the Cold War is long over and today we face completely different threats, from which we will not hide in any shelter.”
Indeed, permanent pressure covers were designed primarily to protect against weapons of mass destruction. They can withstand light and heat radiation, penetrating radiation and contamination with radioactive dust. The problem, however, is that they are designed to provide refuge for 72 hours. Longer use already requires supply. “So in the case of a nuclear apocalypse, they wouldn’t help anyone anyway,” says Vyhnánek.
Former Security Councilor Libor Hadrava (YES) also agreed with Vyhnánek in this regard. “The nature of the protection of shelters is no longer compatible with the current military strategy or with high performance and intelligent weapons systems,” Hadrava said earlier.
Other things are that the largest shelters in the subway do not offer much protection against natural disasters. This was shown, for example, by the floods in 2002, which flooded 18 metro stations. The real usability of the shelters is also limited by the fact that a large part of Praguers do not know where the nearest shelter is located, perhaps with the goal of the metro station.
Vyhnánek boasts foreign feathers, Hlubuček complains
Vyhnánek himself admits that the abolition of Prague’s anti-nuclear shelters will not be easy. “We need to go through and possibly modify the relevant safety regulations, answer the question of what technology is in the bunkers, and finally, where possible, find these unique spaces a new use,” said the councilor. According to him, there are warehouses, commercial premises, garages, clubs, hydroponic farms, premises for filmmakers as well as galleries and museums.
Hlubuček also has such a plan, who complains that Vyhnánek is proud of his idea on the networks. Hlubuček himself allegedly commissioned a revision of the covers and a study of their usability, and then he will try to find a tenant in the underground premises.
After all, some covers are already in commercial use, especially as warehouses. But there is not much interest in these properties. Tenants must undertake to vacate them sufficiently if necessary. They cannot even make adjustments that would jeopardize their use in times of crisis. The use of covers is further complicated by the fact that they are often not connected to the sewer, for example.
“For example, they managed a similar transformation in London. Therefore, I see no reason why Prague could not do it. It is time to live, and not in the grip of past threats,” concluded Vyhnánek. However, while Vyhnánek means that the city should also get rid of the shelters in the metro, which is the most money – about 45 million crowns a year, Hlubuček rules it out.
“I can’t imagine not keeping it because it’s really an integral part of the subway. It’s a huge space with special air and water purification technologies, but it’s also a backup metro system in case of a blackout. It’s not just that we will not use it and cover the technology, “says Hlubuček.
However, the protective function of the metro will become relatively expensive for Prague in the coming years, so far the Ministry of Finance has contributed 40 million crowns a year. “It has not been since this year. Minister Schiller has canceled this item,” says Hlubuček. The city will probably have to count – a total of about 45 – to pay on its own.
For the other about 170 shelters owned by the city, the administration costs 15 million crowns a year, but Hlubuček also wants to find savings. He agrees that these are largely obsolete facilities today. In addition to leases, it would not oppose the sale of part of these covers. However, first of all, according to him, it is necessary to identify which ones to discuss as security forces, whether it is possible that he is excluded from the civil protection system.
“Every city has a different problem. The biggest floods for Prague are the ones we focus on a lot. But of course we also need to prepare for current and future threats. These are mainly cybercrime, terrorism or the military use of new technologies, such as drones. “Hlubuček” says anti-nuclear shelters, however, they do not offer much protection against any of these threats.
Mysterious cover K-116
With the metro and the Strahov tunnel, it can accommodate most shelters of 100 to 400 people, the largest but also several thousand people. The very largest classic shelter in Prague is Bezovka in the Parukářka park in Žižkov, which provides a refuge for 2,500 people. Folimanka, hidden behind the armored gate in Pod Karlovem Street, which can hide up to 1,300 people, is not small either.
However, not all Prague shelters are intended for public protection. For example, the mysterious underground complex K-116 in the Prokop Valley, which was established during the Protectorate as a Nazi factory for parts for Junkers aircraft. Today, the place is sharply guarded by the military crew and a camera system and completely closed to the public. One of the theories is that a backup post of the Czechoslovak and later the Czech army was created in this underground building. However, the information about the complex is hidden.