Problematic Perspectives of Units of Military Fortification in Landscape Management (Teschen Silesia, Czech Republic) ^†

Abstract

This paper is focused on problematic perspectives of former units of casemates with enhanced fortification of the Czech borderlands landscape. These units represent military brownfields but also a functional system that interacts with surrounding nature, landscape character, and human society and has value in themselves. This paper presents various perspectives of a multidimensional approach to these objects (brownfields, ecological functions, etc.).

1. Introduction

This paper focuses on the issue of brownfields, specifically military brownfields, which can be approached from different perspectives. Different points of view on these military objects allow us to realize that some of them, although “abandoned and unused” cannot be considered insignificant but they can also have other functions. Military objects (especially units of military fortification complex—UMF) can then be viewed not only from the historical perspective (socio-economic sphere as cultural heritage) but also from the perspective of natural conditions (living and non-living nature, natural processes, and effects), functional relationship (between man and landscape, socio-cultural sphere) or genius loci (spirit of place, or landscape, interaction and associated emotions between man and landscape) [1]. In fact, however, they represent a functional system that interacts with the surrounding nature, landscape, and human society and are “valuable”, even though they may not serve the purpose for which they were created or which they are intended to commemorate. To illustrate this issue (the function and potential of UMFs), one specific example of casemates with enhanced fortifications (UMF-C) was selected from Teschen Silesia (in the Moravian-Silesian region) based on four landscape approaches.

The same object can be seen as “an object without an obvious use, or use is being sought for it” (definition of brownfields) but from another point of view, this may not be the case. In the framework of this study, a large dataset has been collected. Within this dataset, different parameters of UMF-Cs were analyzed: building conditions, ownership, natural conditions, presence of animals or plants, history, or stories (investigation of users’ experiences). This paper presents possible perspectives of a multidimensional approach to UMF-Cs, not only as potential brownfields but also as landscape elements that fulfill different functions. The UMF-C was chosen as a model object to present a comprehensive approach to post-military objects as brownfields and to search for their functional significance.

Brownfields are generally considered a threat due to the potential ecological burden and associated socio-economic impacts [2,3]. Their definition implies that they are “…a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant” [4]. In general, the view of brownfields can be summarized as always presenting some challenges. A comprehensive approach to brownfields, illustrated by the example of UMF-C, highlighting the possible positive functions they can fulfill in the landscape can therefore be considered rather unique.

2. Background

From the point of view of the situation in Central Europe before WWII (1935–1938), there was a fear of a war conflict in the former Czechoslovakia [5]. For this reason, the units of the military fortification complex (UMF) were built, following the model of the French fortifications (so-called Maginot Line) [5]. The whole UMF consisted of objects divided according to their function into casemates with enhanced fortification (UMF-C), heavy fortification, and artillery forts. Systematic development of the UMF was started in the territory of today’s Moravian-Silesian region (due to geomorphological and geographical conditions). But due to the deterioration of the political situation in former Czechoslovakia (cession of border areas to Germany and Poland in 1938 and the beginning of WWII in 1939), the UMF was never fully completed (this also applies to the territory of present Moravian-Silesian region) [5,6,7]. The part of the UMF that is located on the Czech side of the Teschen Silesia is specific in that it ran that it was run along an artificial border that divided the sovereign historical entity of the Duchy of Teschen (1281–1918) into two parts in 1920 [8].

During WWII were UMF objects used by the German army. At the end of the war, some of them even served as shelters and key defensive points for retreating German troops against the Soviet army [5,6,7,9]. After WWII, the vast majority of UMFs lost their strategic and military importance, and over half were removed [10,11]. A total of 9089 UMF-Cs were built in the border area of the former Czechoslovakia, from which 4683 objects have remained [12]. Some found temporary use as storage facilities for military material, or as storage for various materials (e.g., fruits and vegetables, fertilizers, or sprays) [13,14,15]. Most of the remaining UMFs are abandoned and unused [13,14,15]. However, it was not until the 1980s and 1990s that the general public became more interested in the phenomenon of the Czechoslovak Units of Military Fortification [5].

3. Materials and Methods

Part of the Teschen Silesia is also located in today’s Poland (Województwo Śląskie) [8]. The selected UMF-C is situated in the municipality of Chotěbuz, cadastral area Zpupná Lhota (WGS84 N 49°46.09255′, E 18°35.73995′), at an altitude of 284 m above sea level and is situated approximately 3.5 km as the crow flies from the city center of Český Těšín [16].

The object is signed as XIX/432/A-140Z and was concreted in July 1938 under the auspices of the IV Army Corps, in the construction section Louky (designation XIX) and was part of the so-called “hook on the Olza river” [9,16]. This UMF-C was built in type A-140 with reinforced resistance (designation A-140Z) [16]. This type refers to construction type A, where the proper axes of both gunports are at 140° and the letter “Z” indicates a reinforced plate/front wall [5,16]. In the expected direction of attack, it was provided with a protective backfill (1.5 m thick rock cover, covered with vegetation) [5]. The following approaches were considered in our analysis: description of the current situation (socio-economic sphere), faunistical survey (natural conditions) and search for stories (genius loci). In most cases, the different perspectives are interconnected.

The description of the current situation is based on a field study carried out on 14 February 2023. The survey focused on the current state of construction or the degree of potential damage to the building, ownership relations, and the nature of the interior and character of the surrounding environment (the general description of UMF-C as brownfield). Several of the datasets obtained from the field survey on February 2023 were compared to the results from the field survey on 14 February 2014 (Appendix A).

During the process of examining UMF-C in the Moravian-Silesian Region as a specific type of brownfields, guided public interviews have been conducted continuously since 2020, and a total of 74 respondents were queried (results of the search of stories). For our purposes, respondents answered questions from a variety of fields (e.g., “Can you describe in what context you first encountered the term ‘military bunker’ or when you first visited it? Which Czechoslovak fortification object did you personally visit and when? What was the main reason for your visit? What motivated you to visit?”). The results of this survey also help us to get an idea of whether a given place has a specific genius loci. For illustrative purposes, the results include the responses of one respondent that relate to a named UMF-C.

One of the other parameters of a comprehensive approach to UMF-Cs as a specific type of brownfield is the study of natural conditions. For this conference paper, we present only part of the natural condition’s characteristics through a faunistical survey. The faunistical survey was carried out in the interior of UMF-C No. XIX/432, focusing on the monitoring of overwintering butterfly species (Results of Lepidoptera survey in UMF-C). This survey was carried out on 14th February 2014 and 14th February 2023. Overwintering Lepidoptera in the indoor space of the UMF-C was studied by using conventional flashlights. Recorded species were examined on the walls and ceiling or on the floor. The abundance of the butterfly species found was recorded. In this case, butterflies serve as a model group because there are only a small number of butterflies overwintering in the adult stage, they are easy to determine, and the various butterfly species actively choose suitable places to overwinter.

The obtained results were consequently discussed in terms of the functional potential of the object under study and thus as a specific type of brownfield.

4. Results

This chapter presents results that provide insight into the issues surrounding our approach to brownfields.

4.1. The General Description of UMF-C No. XIX/432 as a Brownfield

In terms of the categorization of brownfields, UMF-Cs (or UMF objects in general) can be considered military brownfields, which in general can represent some of the environmental problems [17,18]. According to publicly available information, UMF-C no. XIX/432 is located on parcel no. 611/30 in the cadastral territory of Zpupná Lhota (municipality Chotěbuz) [19]. This parcel is divided between a total of four private owners but UMF-C no. XIX/432 itself belongs to only one owner (other than the owners of the parcel under UMF-C) [19]. The surrounding parcel 611/4 is divided between 2 private owners; however, none of them is even a shareholder of the parcel under the UMF-C no. XIX/432 or the UMF-C no. XIX/432 itself [19].

UMF-C no. XIX/432 is situated in a pasture. The southwest side is visibly but only slightly damaged; the entrance bar and the armored door are not preserved. Steel rods for attaching camouflage nets or barbed wire (to secure the building) are preserved on the ceiling. The loopholes are intact but without covers. Nothing remained of the internal equipment except the grenade drop muzzle with cover, brackets for mounting equipment, and periscope tubes. Water is leaking into the UMF-C through the periscope tubes (alternatively, water is leaking into the building through a structural defect). The building contains waste of various kinds (stones, wood, remnants of agricultural equipment). A more detailed description including selected parameters from the two visits to the site is provided in the sample UMF-C passport survey, including a comparison of the results from the various visits to UMF-C No XIX/432; see Appendix B.

4.2. Results of the Search of Stories of UMF-C No. XIX/432

As a part of the search for stories, the following statement by one respondent was recorded in the UMF-C no. XIX/432 (quote): “I can see it like today. It was in the autumn of the 1980s and I was on an expedition with my father as a young boy in the vicinity of Těšín. It was getting dark when a strange structure with a black hole as an entrance appeared in the field in front of me. Seeing the desire in my eyes, my dad didn’t hesitate for a moment: he took some papers out of his wallet (he always had a wallet full of them), lit them on fire, and with the help of this light we slowly walked inside… This experience is so imprinted in my memory that it influenced my lifelong interest in bunkers and various underground spaces. I wanted to return to this bunker myself. I managed to “find” it again when I was 14 years old. A group of local boys had a clubhouse in the bunker. We fought fierce battles with these boys and these battles were often quite dangerous (because we used homemade slingshots). During the battles, which were incredibly real for us, we mostly “played” on partisans and Germans…”

At the same time, during the survey of UMF-C no. XIX/432, signs were also found of non-military use of the building, i.e., not as part of the history of the site but activities related to the use of the genius loci. These included the inscription “Klubovna” (“Clubhouse”) next to the warning sign “Vstup zakázán, nebezpečí ohrožení života” (“Entry forbidden, danger to life”), “TGM” (an abbreviation of the name of the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk) or the remains of simple furniture with which the “Clubhouse” was probably equipped (some of the inscriptions are shown on Appendix C. There is also rubbish inside the building.

4.3. Results of Lepidoptera Survey in UMF-C No. XIX/432

A total of 6 species of overwintering butterflies have been documented in UMF-C no. XIX/432 in a total of 35 live individuals during the 2023 survey (see Appendix D). The European peacock (Inachis io) was the most abundant butterfly, with a total of 19 individuals (compared to 2014 when 14 individuals were recorded). Scoliopteryx libatrix (7 and 9 individuals, respectively) and Aglais urticae (7 and 1 individual, respectively) were also more abundantly represented. A general overview of all overwintering butterfly species found each year is given in the graphs in Appendix E.

5. Discussion

UMF-C no. XIX/432 from a general point of view represents a military brownfield that is not associated with a specific ecological burden. Considering the total number of remaining UMF-Cs on the territory of the Czech Republic and the fact that no significant wartime operations occurred on this site during WWII, this object is not considered historically or architecturally valuable. Although this object may seem to be completely abandoned and unused (corresponding to the usual definition of a brownfield), and although it has its owners, closer investigation has shown that this does not correspond to reality—it interacts not only with human beings but also with nature—its hidden functional potential has been identified. Based on the field surveys carried out in 2014 and 2023, it can be concluded that there have been no significant changes, particularly in terms of the potential devastation of the building (see Appendix B). The immediate surroundings of the object have been cleared of landfill. If the surrounding environment continues to be used as an extensive pasture or field, then the continued overgrowth of the backfill and the formation of an “island in the landscape” can be assumed (the object itself as a “cliff with a cave”; the sharp contrast of the vegetation on the ceiling of the object and on the backfill in relation to the surrounding uniform vegetation, etc., this is the subject of further study) (see Appendix A). The table presented in Appendix B, which is an example of the passporting of UMF-C objects, may represent a suitable elementary tool for the passporting of these objects in the context of landscape management.

Based on the on-site investigations realized on the UMF-C No. XIX/432 and from the guided interviews, there were signs found of human use of the property (see Appendix B), and by securing the statements of the respondents, it can be concluded that the property is or has been used as part of a hidden curriculum of land use (clubhouse) (see Appendix C) [1]. From this point of view, although this property can be considered as a brownfield site, it still has its ‘users’ (although without ownership or tenancy) and therefore fulfills a positive social function. In spite of, or perhaps because of, the fact that at the entrance it says, ‘Military facility, no entry, danger to life’, and war is clearly associated with danger, as it evokes just the right emotion in the imagination of these ‘users’—the use of genius loci in play activities. The use of this building as a clubhouse cannot be considered anything other than positive based on the analysis carried out (it is not a squat, but an experience of ‘military romance’, there is no damage to the building). In this context, it is important to mention that this particular hidden curriculum of human use of a landscape element is associated with the history of the place. The history of the place, in connection with the genius loci, evokes the corresponding ideas of the users. In this way, children, for example, may develop a future interest not only in these objects but also in history in general. For example, the nearby UMF-Cs XIX/425, XIX/428, and XIX/429 are currently managed by the Chotěbuz Museum of History. “Playing and having fun” has thus become a local museum for the wider public. In view of the above facts, it is possible to say about the studied object UMF-C no. XIX/432 that although it does not yet fulfill this added value for the public, it fulfills another social function. Of course, the UMF-C buildings are currently used for a variety of other purposes (for example, as cottages, hotels or ‘works of art’ [20,21,22].

UMF-C objects can also fulfill an ecological function. For example, the results of the survey of overwintering butterflies as a model animal group of the interior environment of the UMF-C XIX/432 for the purpose of this study show that the presence of common species was recorded. Among the more interesting records is that of Nymphalis polychloros, which, although a relatively widespread species, is not abundant anywhere. Moreover, its abundance fluctuates considerably over the years, and so it may become quite rare in some years. During the vegetation period, it stays in the tree canopy, which to some extent affects the information on its actual distribution. It is therefore understandable that the number of all species of overwintering adult butterflies may vary considerably from year to year. However, the fact that these objects are important for overwintering is aptly illustrated by this group of animals. The butterfly overwintering site, in this case, a bunker, is discovered by individuals at random and used for these purposes. Overwintering butterflies are an appropriate group to illustrate the interaction between living nature and brownfields. Other suitable model groups may include spiders, overwintering bipeds, mollusks, but also lichens, and bryophytes.

6. Conclusions

Our research shows that UMF-Cs provide different types of interactions between humans and the landscape. The classical view of brownfields, which is usually based on the underuse of buildings or their disturbance to the landscape, is partly disputed [17]. It is questionable whether it is not appropriate to consider changes in the categorization of brownfields and to take this comprehensive approach to brownfields into account in landscape management.

Our research focuses on the functional potential of the UMF-C no. XIX/432 and is intended to contribute to changes in the classification of brownfields. The question is if various objects should still be considered brownfields when their significance is proven. In the case of the UMF-Cs, which play a role in the hidden curriculum of human use of the landscape and are used for overwintering butterflies. Considering the total number of UMF-Cs in the Czech Republic, it is difficult to imagine that all of them will be used in the future within the framework of the usual or modified categorization of brownfields. On the other hand, their damage or removal could be considered as the destruction of a historical legacy and perceived negatively by the public (see, for example, the large wave of negative reactions from the general public to the cutting of UMF-Cs with a diamond rope; however, this act is considered by the author himself as a “work of art” [20]).

It remains an open question whether brownfields (or at least some types of brownfields) should be viewed in different ways since in the context of this paper there is no further need to find new uses for them.