ARK (Atomska Ratna Komanda)
| Atomska Ratna Komanda (ARK) | |
|---|---|
| Konjic, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Coordinates | 43°38′03″N 17°59′42″E / 43.6343°N 17.9949°ECoordinates: 43°38′03″N 17°59′42″E / 43.6343°N 17.9949°E |
| Type | Cold War Nuclear bunker |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Controlled by | Bosnia and Herzegovina Army |
| Condition | operational |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1953 - 1979 (Cost: $ 4.6 billion) |
| Built by | The government of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
| Materials | concrete and reinforced steel |
| Language: Bosnian and Croatian (mutually intelligibile) |
|
Atomska Ratna Komanda (Cyrillic: Атомска Ратна Команда), also known as the Ark and nicknamed Tito's bunker, is a former nuclear bunker and military command center located near the town of Konjic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Built to protect Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito and up to 350 members of his inner circle in the event of an atomic conflict, the structure is made up of residential areas, conference rooms, offices, strategic planning rooms, and other areas. The bunker remained a state secret until after the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
In 1953, as the Cold War was heating up, President Tito directed the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) to begin work on the ARK bunker. In the event of nuclear war, the complex was designed to function as a center of military operations and a shelter for both the Supreme Command staff and Tito, along with his family and close associates. Its construction and existence were among the most closely guarded Yugoslav military secrets of the time and remained so until the 1990s, when the ARK was revealed to the public. In 1979, when work was completed after 26 years and $4.6 billion in construction costs (equal to $26 billion in today's currency), the facility was handed over to a JNA detachment of 16 military personnel (by ethnicity: 9 Serbs, 4 Bosniaks, and 3 Croats) tasked with maintaining the structure, should the need ever arise. After Tito's death in 1980, the complex was but kept ready in case of war. In March 1992, during the breakup of Yugoslavia, the JNA ordered its demolition to deny it to the separatist government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the military detachment refused to carry out the order and instead surrendered the structure to the separatist Bosnian government.
Built between 1953 and 1979 inside a hill at the foot of the Zlatar Mountain, the ARK is the largest nuclear shelter, and one of the largest underground facilities, ever built in the former Yugoslavia. For over a decade after its completion, it was the most secret military installation in the country. All construction workers were carefully selected and vetted, signing a contract of silence, and all staff members held the highest security clearance.
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