roupel bunker

Visited here in September 2013 & words cannot describe how I felt. The guided tour was free & very well explained by the commanding officer of the fort who gave us a personal tour that lasted over 2hrs. Being of Greek heritage I couldn't help but feel pride & patriotism for the bravery shown by the Greek soldiers in April 1941. I will be visiting Roupel again this year & all the other forts in the Eastern Makedonia region. There is plenty of parking, toilets & a small cafe to purchase drinks/coffee. If you are visiting ny car, you will be asked to leave a form of ID by the sentry guard, which can be collected upon your departure.

The bunker is enormous in size, it used to host 1000 soldiers! The bunker is deep inside the mountain and it amazes with its size, especially if one considers the time it was constructed, almost 100years ago. The tour is guided by a Greek soldier and it is free of charge. Estimate about an hour max.

Roupel Bunker was one of the most important burkers during the second World War and now is an integral part of the Greek history. It is really worth visiting and the guided tours are very inspiring outside and inside the bunker.

If you are a Greek or in fact of any nationality but a lover of history and freedom, you HAVE to visit this place! I am a proud Greek and this place reminded me of how many things we can accomplish as a nation if we stand together. Besides the emotional aspect of this visit which is very strong and imposing by the location and the place itself, the actual tour was very interesting. The place itself has a vibe that you cannot miss and with the assistance of the Greek soldier who was responsible for giving us the tour, we almost relived the actual battles that took place there during April 1941. Besides the historical aspect of the visit, the scenery is amazing. Green fields underneath on the side of Bulgaria, the river Strimonas on your leftside and big mountains on your right side full of lush green trees underneath wonderful blue skies. The tour lasts for about an hour and it is definitely a must see if you visit the area. Although it is almost at the frontier of Greece with Bulgaria and quite a long distance from Athens, where we live, we will happilly visit it again with our children. Thumbs up for the Greek Army that maintains the place and has transformed it into a museum for all humanity to remember its history & the great values that people fought for in the last great war. Even if you look at it as simply a work of architecture, its story will fascinate you! Dont miss it!

A visit here worths its time, as you are going to have a live history lesson by just looking at the pictures, hearing the stories and feeling the ambience of what has happened at this bunker at 1941.

We saw the Roupel bunker on a map and went not too sure what to expect! It turns out that it was first constructed in WWI to help defend Greece against German-Bulgarian invasion, and was later strengthened during the 1930's as part of the Metaxas line. The defensive fort included gun emplacements, mortar positions, with underground tunnels, living quarters and communication facilities. On 6th - 9th April 1941, the Fort came under intensive attack by the German army and air force as Greece was invaded. However, the Fort held out, and refused to surrender, until ordered to do so by the Greek high command as part of the wider cessation of hostilities.The site is located to the east of the main Greece-Bulgarian highway, just before the border, and is well signed. It is located within an army camp, and I was asked to leave my passport with the guard at the entrance to the site! A track winds up through woodland to the top of a hill, and then down to a clearing with buildings. There are still obvious bunkers and anti-tank obstacles around the hillside. To our surprise, there was a large car park, and several coaches, with several hundred Greek visitors. There are accompanied tours with a serving solider to the top of the site which is now a military cemetery and monument, and there are underground tours of the bunker. There is a small shop selling guide books and drinks/snacks and well as toilets. The view into the Strimonas valley and the Bulgarian plain beyond is spectacular. Attempts were made to find an English speaking solider, but this failed, so we joined a tour anyway. Several Greek visitors were kind enough to translate for us, and we learnt a lot about the site, which seems to hold the same importance in Greek history, as Dunkirk does to Britain. They seemed to find it strange that we as English visitors to Greece should wish to visit there, but were made to feel very welcome. A fascinating insight into a place which clearly holds a special place in Greek history.

The Roupel Bunker is located near Sidirokastro, Serres.It has great view and worths to take the tour with the guide inside.Recommended.

Κατά την διάρκεια επίσκεψης μελέτης για το έργο “Διαδρομή Σιδηρούν Παραπέτασμα (Iron Curtain Trail): Βιώσιμη κινητικότητα κατά μήκος της νέας ποδηλατικής διαδρομής EuroVelo 13” ποδηλατήσαμε στο Οχυρό Ρούπελ μαζί με εταίρους του προγράμματος και δημοσιογράφους. Κατά μήκος της διαδρομής για το οχυρό, κρύπτες, φυλάκια, πολυβολεία. Με την είσοδο στο οχυρό (με 2 στρατιώτες οδηγούς) αρκούν λίγα μέτρα στις στοές και αμέσως βρίσκεσαι σε "εμπόλεμη κατάσταση" με αναπαραστάσεις της ζωής των στρατιωτών στους διάφορους χώρους του οχυρού.

Ευκαιρία για λίγη ιστορία . Υπάρχει ξενάγηση απο φαντάρους που υπάρχουν στο οχυρό. Θα μπορούσε να έχουν περισσότερη ενημέρωση , για τις ανάγκες της ξενάγησης

Ειναι κομμάτι της σύγχρονης ιστορία μας . Διαδραστικό με ομοιώματα στρατιωτών στις συνθήκες τις εποχής , μέσα στο λαβύρινθο των στοών . Σε πιάνει ρίγος όταν συνηδητοποιεις οτι εκεί χάθηκαν ζωές , για να υπερασπιστούν την πατρίδα . Θα ήθελα να ειναι επισκέψιμα και τα πολυβολεία . Όσοι λέν οτι είναι Ελληνες πρέπει να το επισκεφτούν . Μπράβο στους στρατιώτες που ξεναγούν με τον καλύτερο τρόπο .

Ειναι μια πολυ ωραια τοποθεσια,η ξεναγηση ειναι επισης πολυ καλη και ο χωρος ειναι καταλληλα διαμορφωμενος ετσι ωστε μεγαλοι και μκροι να μαθαινουν απλα την ιστορια.Ειναι ενα πολυ σημαντικο μνημειο και ειναι πολυ ευκολα προσβασιμο.

Λέγεται πως ο Winston Churchill είχε πεί κατα την διάρκεια της επίθεσης της Ναζιστικής Γερμανίας στην Ελλάδα: "Στο εξής δεν θα λέμε ότι οι Έλληνες πολεμούν σαν ήρωες, αλλά ότι οι ήρωες πολεμούν σαν Έλληνες." Μάθετε το γιατί σε ένα υπέροχο μουσείο/οχυρό!Δείτε πώς μια χούφτα στρατιώτες, σταμάτησαν την ανίκητη γερμανική πολεμική μηχανή!

Είναι μία σελίδα τής σύγχρονης αλλά αρκετά μακρινής πιά ιστορίας μας. Μέσα στη σιωπή του τοπίου μπορείς να σκεφθείς και να κρίνεις πράξεις και αξίες αθρώπων που έκαναν τις επιλογές τους με γνώμωνα το καλό του τόπου. Τότε φυσικά!

Απίθανη η διαδρομή μέχρι το οχυρό. Καταπληκτικός ο στρατιώτης που είχε αναλάβει την ξενάγηση μας. Ευρισκόμενος εκεί και περπατώντας τις στοές, νομίζεις ότι ζεις τις ιστορικές στιγμές του Ρούπελ.

¨άψογα συντηρημένο οχυρό αρέσει πολύ σε όσους το εχουν επισκεφτεί αξίζει να περάσεις μερικές ευχάριστες ώρες ειδικά αν έχει καλό καιρό και το συνδυάσεις με βόλτα στον εξωτερικό του χώρο