BARS was a former Warsaw Pact tropospheric scatter communications network in Eastern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), all the way through Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, to the southeast in Bulgaria. BARS stands for "Bol'shaya Avtomatizirovannaya Radioreleynaya Sistema," which roughly translates to "Large Automated Radio Relay System" and was created in the 1980s for maintaining leadership communication between Eastern Bloc allies in case of nuclear war.
During the Cold War, many other countries and alliances also relied on troposcatter communication systems that could scatter and bounce microwave radio signals over distances up to 500km. NATO for example, had the very large ACE High network and the smaller NARS network.
Four BARS stations were built in Hungary, connecting directly with Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. Station 501, the first to be built, was funded and constructed by the Soviets. 502, 503 and 504 were constructed and funded by the Hungarians, so they had a different design, based on metal A-frame-towers and pressurised command bunkers to help protect from nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare.
Visiting BARS 501 is relatively straightforward: simply drive outside Budapest, follow a winding road, and enter through a gate that was, for me at least, conveniently left open. The distinct salmon color of 501 is striking—under the sun, it glows in contrast to the lush greenery of the surrounding forests and farmland. Each tower, generally in good condition, provide a spectacular view across the landscape, including the other three towers with their now-empty radar dish platforms.
