Vyšehrad

Right here is one of Europe's most expensive military jokes. This Baroque fortress took 74 years to build. Construction started in 1653 under Emperor Ferdinand III and wrapped up around 1727. Five massive bastions jutting from the corners. Thick brick walls shaped like an irregular pentagon. Underground tunnels for rapid troop movement. An armory that would become the military headquarters of Bohemia. And it never defended anything. The Vyšehrad fortress was never used to counter a single military campaign. When enemies came, they occupied it without a fight. The French moved in during the War of Austrian Succession in 1741 and built the network of tunnels beneath this ground. Then they left. The Prussians came next. They also left. By the 19th century, the military gave up entirely. Those elaborate underground corridors running beneath you? They spent most of the 20th century filled with potatoes. Almost to the ceiling. The impressive armory burned down in 1927 and nobody bothered rebuilding it. The tunnels now hold 6 original statues from Charles Bridge. A fortress that never fought became the cemetery of the nation's most famous citizens. The military investment turned into a cultural monument.