This story is about biggest secret airport in Europe, beforeand after war in

Bosnia.Construction of the "Objekat 505"(code name), better known

as Željava or Bihać Air Base, beganduring 1957, and was completed in 1965.

Estimated cost ofconstruction was in excess of six billion US dollars.

The complex was designed and constructed to sustain the direct

hit from a 20 Kiloton nuclear bomb, or equivalent to the Nagasaki

atom bomb.The underground facility was lined with semicircular

concrete shields, arranged every ten meters, to cushion the impact

of attacking munitions. There was access to an underground water source

, power generators, crew quarters and other facilities which were of strategic

advantage in the event of a war. The facility even had a mess hall which

had the capacity to feed 1000 men at once, enough food, fuel & arms

reserves to 'survive' 30 days without any external intervention. While the

fuel was supplied by a network consisting of 20 kilometers worth of

underground pipes from a military warehouse on Pokoj hill near Bihać city.

 To prevent any possible future use of the complex and preclude any advantage

to an opposing party the Army of Republika Srpska Krajina finalized its

demolition in 1992 by setting off an additional 56 tons of explosives. The

ensuing explosion was so powerful that the nearby city of Bihać shook violently.

 And pictures before war.