Bunkermuseum Wurzenpass


Useful Information

Location: Wurzenpass. On the Wurzenpass-Bundesstraße B109. 10 km southwest of Villach.
Open: 10-MAY to JUN Wed-Sun 10-18.
JUL to AUG daily 10-18.
SEP to 26-OCT Wed-Sun 10-18.
[2008]
Fee: Adults EUR 7, Children (6-18) EUR 3, Students EUR 3, Seniors (65+) EUR 3, Grundwehrdiener EUR 3.
Groups (10+): Adults EUR 5, School Pupils (6-18) EUR 2.
Rebates on Kärnten-Card.
[2008]
Classification: SubterraneaSecret Bunker
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: A=1,000 m asl.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Andreas Scherer, Roßauer Lände 1, 1090 Wien, Tel: +43-1-5200-23033, Fax: +43-1-5200-17029, Cell: +43-664-6221164. E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1963 start of construction.
1995 modernization stopped.
2002 closed.
26-AUG-2005 opened to the public.

Description

The Bunkermuseum Wurzenpass is a new museum commemorating the the fortifications of the Cold War at the border between Austria and communist Yugoslavia. Austria installed during decades a secret network of bunkers, field fortifications and barrages. However, it was put on alert and fully manned only twice, in 1968 during the Prague Spring and in 1991 because of the Civil War in Yugoslavia. The fortification was started in 1963, but was never really completed. It was continually enlarged and modernized while in use. In 1995 after the end of the cold war and the war in former Yugoslavia the construction was finally stopped. But the fort stayed fully operational until it was decommissioned in 2002. Actually it became completely obsolete as nearby Slovenia is now part of Europe and member of the Schengen treaty. The structure was transformed by a local non-profit club into a museum, representing all other cold war fort which are now closed and destroyed.

The museum is a sort of open air museum, covering 11,000m², fenced-in with a spacious trench system and the main bunker station. There are two bunkered 105 mm Centurion tank turrets and numerous dummy positions to hide it. Then there is an antiaircraft position with a cal .50 heavy machine gun. And finally there are four formerly bunkered tank turrets with their main guns, M24, T34, M47 and Charioteer.