Construction workers in Serbia found a surprising discovery yesterday! While they were digging foundations for the future supermarket in the Belgrade (capital of Serbia) suburban settlement called Vidikovac, they ran into a buried WWII-era German bunker. Soon people gathered to witness this remarkable piece of forgotten history.
There was no information whatsoever that the bunker existed before this discovery, so everyone is still confused and rather shocked. Since it is a concrete structure, obviously capable of enduring the test of time, probably the most dissatisfied are the supermarket chain owners, the German franchise, Lidl, who are now facing this unexpected turn of events. Nevertheless, they are already involved in the demolition of the object, for the supermarket chain is obviously running on a tight schedule.
For historians, on the other hand, this is certainly a source of joy. Since the discovery happened very recently, it is still early to make any claims, but we expect more official information soon on the purpose of the bunker and what its discovery find can add to military history. After unearthing the bunker, the workers managed to enter it through a machine gun hole. Soon they realized that this was more than just a pillbox, but an underground bunker possibly used as a field HQ. An ammunition depot was found together with a network of tunnels which are mostly still buried underground. No weapons or equipment were found, just some garbage. There are at least three levels of this compound which are built out of reinforced concrete and embedded in rocks. The locals claim that the bunker was a German last stand during the fierce fighting in 1944 when Serbia was liberated by the Red Army.
Too bad this bunker, as many others did before it, is going to be demolished and replaced by a large supermarket. Since these objects are not perceived as historical sights, they often fall victims to investors who own the grounds on which they stand. Local historians aren’t worried about the demolition that much, as they are convinced that this is only the first bunker discovered in Vidikovac, out of many others still buried beneath the ground.