N-S 90 Vodojem

N-S 90 Vodojem is a concrete infantry blockhouse from the First Czechoslovak Republic, sitting on the edge of Náchod, in the Pavlišov district, right next to the border with Poland. Its cover name "Vodojem" (water tank) was meant to fool enemy aerial reconnaissance — from above, the structure was designed to look like an ordinary water reservoir rather than a fortified combat position.

What kind of structure is this?

The bunker belongs to the second resistance class — a two-wing design armed with two anti-tank guns paired with heavy machine guns, plus four additional light machine guns. Two armored observation-and-firing cupolas set into the roof rounded out the armament. Its garrison numbered 39 soldiers, a notably large crew for a single fortification of this line.

Construction was carried out by the Prague-based company Lanna, finishing in December 1937. The build cost more than 1.1 million Czechoslovak crowns — a figure that illustrates just how expensive it was to raise a border defense system against Germany in the final years before the Second World War.

How does it fit into the defense line?

N-S 90 was one of ten forts planned for subsector 2/V Babí, part of the Czechoslovak border fortification belt built along the frontier with Germany in the second half of the 1930s. It stood directly beside N-S 91 "Rozhledna" on one side and N-S 89 "Dvoják" on the other, together forming a chain of mutually covering firing positions.

After the Sudetenland was annexed in autumn 1938 and German forces occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939, both armored cupolas of the bunker (designated N27 and N28) were removed and shipped to the Third Reich — a striking reminder of how quickly a defense plan that had cost a fortune and years of labor collapsed without ever being tested in battle.

What will you see on site?

Today N-S 90 Vodojem operates as a museum run by fortification enthusiasts who open the interior to visitors. Original combat chambers, gun and machine-gun crew positions, and equipment typical of Czechoslovak 1930s bunkers have all been preserved inside. The exhibit lets visitors get close to what daily service inside a concrete bunker actually looked like for a crew preparing for a war that, in the end, played out very differently from what the builders expected.

How to get there and when to visit?

The bunker sits in Náchod-Pavlišov, close to the Czech-Polish border, making it an easy stop to combine with a visit to Náchod itself or a tour of nearby border fortifications. It is opened seasonally, usually on summer weekends, by the local association that maintains it — it is worth confirming current opening hours by phone or email before visiting, since the schedule depends on volunteer availability.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Vodojem" in the name mean? It is the bunker's cover name, chosen so that from the air it would resemble a water tank rather than a military fortification.

How many soldiers were stationed at N-S 90? The garrison numbered 39 men, who operated the anti-tank guns, machine guns, and observation cupolas.

Have the original gun cupolas survived? No — both armored cupolas were removed in 1939 and shipped to the Third Reich after the occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Is the bunker open year-round? No, it opens seasonally, mainly on summer weekends — it is best to check the current schedule directly before your visit.