Today we were fortunate enough to have been able to tour a Cold War shelter that was used as a nuclear bunker and base for the secret police. During the time in which the Czech Republic was under a communist regime is when this shelter was used for spying by the Secret Police. The shelter was in a very prominent hotel that was frequently used by foreign diplomats. The secret police would place bugs and use other surveillance techniques to monitor the activity and conversations of these influential people. Memory and history preservation play a vital role in places like this, to maintain history and the knowledge of what happened during the time. Additionally, keeping historical sites like these, prompts the education and interest into history. It also plays a significant role in engineering heritage, preserving the use of different technologies of the time and their relation to current day technology. While touring the museum we saw different technologies like an old manual calculator and pepper spray that were perfectly preserved. This museum gave me a unique insight to the past, which I would not have known about otherwise. I am extremely glad I had the opportunity to tour the Cold War Museum; I am excited to continue to tour influential places in history to educate myself further and solidify their place in history.
Swanson School of Engineering 