Tito's Bunker

Tito's Underground Nuclear Bunker, named the Ark is one of the truly unique sites you will be able to visit in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Located underground, the bunker is today also an art gallery and one of the most preserved monuments of the once known Socialist Yugoslavia. Camouflaged by three houses that are connected to the facility via long corridors, this underground nuclear shelter is located on the road from Sarajevo to Mostar, in the small town of Konjic. A few years after World War II, the late Yugoslavian leader Josip Broz Tito decided to build a top secret bunker that would safeguard the ruling officials in case of a nuclear attack. This 26-year long project was finished in 1979 and the Yugoslav officials spent around 4.5 billion dollars on its construction. Located around 900 feet (270 m) underground, near the Bosnian town of Konjic, this bunker (officially named the ARK D-0, which stands for Atomic War Command), was well kept from the public, even years after the Bosnian war and dissolution of Yugoslavia. Up until the late 1990s, the shelter was the biggest military secret and once it was opened for visits, many people were surprised to see how well equipped and modern it was. It had devices and communication systems that nobody at the time even knew existed and could withstand the nuclear attack of 25 kilotons of TNT, way stronger than bombs detonated over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The bunker was finally completed in 1979, a year before Tito's death and he never got to see this underground complex at its full capacity. This enormous facility under the mountain Zlatar has more than one hundred rooms in an area of 6400 square meters. When fully stocked with all the necessary supplies, ARK can accommodate around 350 people for six months. As many socialist monuments and military facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina were destroyed in the Bosnian war in 90's, the ARK today serves as one of the best preserved examples of the social, ideological and military system of Socialist Yugoslavia. Its unique location and intact interior with all the memorabilia attracts both local and foreign visitors but also artists, scientists and journalists from all over the world.