The Rabštejn Underground Factory

Located in the village of Jánská, the museum offers visitors the opportunity to step back in time to World War II and learn about the hardships endured by prisoners of war during that period.

In the past, the Rabštejn underground factory—a former German concentration camp—stood on this site. The German name for the camp referred to the sandstone cliffs known as the Raven Cliffs and the Crow Cliffs.

The History of Rabštejn

This area originally served as a cotton mill, built here in 1860 by F. Preidl, an entrepreneur from Český Kamenec. The cotton processing technology used here was state-of-the-art at the time, and experts came from as far away as Vienna to admire the Rabštejn mills. After World War I, production began to decline gradually and ceased by the late 1930s.

In 1942, a German arms manufacturer took advantage of these hidden factories in the Rabštejn Valley and relocated its arms production there. Over time, 11 assembly halls were built there, and 6,000 people from 18 different countries worked there. Thirty-four labor camps were established in the surrounding area for the workers of this German company, along with two prisoner-of-war camps for British and Russian pilots.

In August 1944, a concentration camp was established in Rabštejn, whose prisoners were assigned to excavate underground tunnels. Over the course of 8 months, the prisoners excavated an area of 17,500 square meters and tunnels approximately 4.5 km long.

After the war, this building remained closed to the public for 60 long years. With the founding of the Jánský Rabštejn Civic Association, it was renovated, and today it houses an exhibition documenting the history of the mysterious Rabštejn mentioned above.

How to get to Rabštejn

You can reach the Rabštejn underground aircraft factory by following the yellow hiking trail from Česká Kamenice or from the Veselé pod Rabštejnem train station. By car, take the road from Česká Kamenice or from Markvartice off the main highway from Děčín to Liberec; turn left in Markvartice, and Janská is 2 km ahead. From Jetřichovice, Růžová, or Hřensko, you can reach Janská via Srbská Kamenice.

Tips for day trips in the area

Near the factory is the Vyhlídka nad Jezírkem viewpoint near Srbská Kamenice. Simply head back from the factory toward the village of Janská, where you’ll find a yellow trail on the main road that will take you through forests and rock formations to the viewpoint. You can return to the village of Janská by following the green trail from Srbská Kamenice.

Refreshments

You can find refreshments in the nearby village of Srbská Kamenice.

Photo source: www.podzemirabstejn.cz