In the Milovice reservation, the demolition of the last of the original military buildings has begun

Milovice - The demolition of the last of the four original military buildings began today near the Milovice reserve, with the involvement of a private owner. The demolition is expected to be completed by Tuesday, after which debris removal will continue in the coming months. The previous buildings were removed by the city of Milovice, the conservation organization Česká krajina stated in a press release today. The reserve is located in a former military area, where large herbivores help graze certain grass species to better support endangered species.

The demolition is currently taking place on Ostravská Street in Milovice. Like in previous cases, it is a facility built by the Soviet army. "The ruins of the military building created an ugly scar on the view of the unique landscape, which has no equivalent elsewhere in the Czech Republic. The owner deserves great thanks for embarking on the demolition, despite the financially demanding restoration of the neighboring structure that awaits him,” said Dalibor Dostál, director of the conservation organization Česká krajina. The organization established the large herbivore reserve in the former military area in 2015.

All four military buildings had been neglected and in a very dilapidated state for decades. In the past, homeless people used to sleep in them, and they became sites for waste dumping and fires. Their removal will improve conditions for visitors to the reserve and the overall situation in this valuable location, which, according to scientists, is the largest preserved flat lowland in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. "Landscapes undisturbed by infrastructure are becoming increasingly rare. Therefore, it is beneficial that in this nature-rich area, the ruins left by the army are being removed. Where it is not possible for serious reasons, it is necessary to at least work on visually shielding these remnants of the Soviet occupation,” added Dostál.

Česká krajina is involved in the disposal of the demolished remains and construction debris from former military facilities, contributing hundreds of thousands of crowns during this year.

The current Milovice territory was chosen by the Austro-Hungarian army as a military training ground back in 1905. During World War II, it was used by the German army. Czechoslovak soldiers operated there after the war until the arrival of Soviet troops in 1968. It is estimated that up to 100,000 Soviet soldiers lived here. The last of them left on June 30, 1991, and the military area was abolished in 1995.