At the end of 1942 the German arms company Weserflugzeugbau Bremen (WFG) used factories hidden in the Rabštejn valley, transferring there its facilities for producing components for Junkers aircraft and FA-223 helicopters. Over the years 11 assembly halls were built, with 6,000 people working there. For these forced labourers there were 34 labour camps set up in the vicinity, as well as 2 POW camps for captured Russian and English pilots.
At the end of August 1944 a concentration camp was set up at Rabštejn, and the prisoners were used to dig out the underground galleries. During the course of eight months the prisoners excavated 17,500 square metres to form a passageway 4.5 km long. After the war the site was taken over by the Czechoslovak Army, and was used as an underground store for engineering material; it was abandoned by the army in the 1990s.
After years of the underground parts being closed to the public, the Rabštejn civic association was set up and opened up part of the underground galleries.
Open all year round, although visits must be arranged in advance by telephone.
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