Bratislava – the capital of Slovakia – certainly has a lot to offer to its visitors. One of the less famous attractions is the string of bunkers that run along the border between Slovakia and Austria. One of these bunkers is the Bunker BS-9.
The border between Slovakia and Austrian runs just a few kilometers from the center of Bratislava. To be more precise, it is in the neighborhood of Petržalka. Along the border, the First Czechoslovak Republic built several fortifications before World War II. The construction work started as early as 1934 and it was, in fact, a direct violation of international treaties at the time. Altogether 15 bunkers were built. Several of these bunkers still stand today, while some of them saw their final days during the construction of Petržalka in the 1970s. One of the bunkers still standing is Bunker BS-9.
Bunker BS-9 “Kittsee” is named after the small town of Kittsee, just across the border in Austria. As the name indicates, you find the bunker by the road leading across the border from Bratislava to Kittsee.
Bunker BS-9 forms, together with the two bunkers BS-2 and BS-4, a part of a museum run by the group Múzeum Petržalského Opevnenia. This group also wants to open up the bunkers BS-1 and BS-3 to the public.
The bunker is one of the smaller fortifications along this part of the border. Bunker BS-8 a few hundred meters away is a lot bigger. There is also a small spot with a roof and tables for visitors to rest nearby. The border crossing itself is also very close.
Bunker BS-9 “Kittsee”: Location?
Bunker BS-9 “Kittsee” is along the Kopčianska street leading from Petržalka towards the Austrian border. This street continues across the border to Kittsee, where the street name changes to Preßburger Straße. The name indicates that it is the street leading to the city of Pressburg, an old German name for Bratislava.
If you want to visit the bunker, you can catch the bus from Kollárovo námestie near the city center to Kopčianska and walk from there.
Want to find more sights in Bratislava? Check out our Bratislava Guide >>
