Travel Guide "Remembrance Connects Region Oder-Warta"

60 61 The Space of Fat e Sch i cksa l sa l sraum The region between the Warta and Oder rivers is a strategically important area where Polish and German armies have clashed ever since Piast Duke Mieszko I (ca. 960 ). The area is conti- nuously protected on three sides by rivers and lake chains as natural barriers. The idea for a defence line on the eastern border arose after Germany‘s defeat in the First World War, although the Treaty of Versailles prohibited the construction of fortifications in border areas. After the end of the Military Control Commission in January 1927 , and encouraged by Adolf Hitler‘s rise to power, the so-called Ostwall (east wall) was finally implemented. Museum of the Oder-Warthe-Bogen Fortress Front Discover the exciting architecture and history of the former fortress front above and below ground, as well as its partial use as a bat roost. It covered more than 80 kilometres and was divided into three sections (north/centre/south). Around 100 military structures were planned for each section. At the end of the Se- cond World War, due to reduced armaments and few personnel, the installation had more of a psychological than military significance, and to some extent was simply bypassed by the Red Army. Today, many parts of the underground bunkers are still intact and can be visited on various guided tours. The planned permanent exhibition in the new Museum der Festungsfront Oder-Warthe Bogen (Museum of the Oder-Warthe-Bogen Fortress Front) focuses on the history of the fortifi- cation and displays numerous military history exhibits. Another element of the museum is the introduction of a system for transporting tourists through the underground tunnels of the fortress complex. Museum of the Burschener Tunnel System Kilometres of underground passages and tunnels document its former military use as one of the most complex and largest interconnected bunker systems in the world. The region between the Oder and Warta rivers was identified as a poten- tial deployment area for enemy troops after the end of the First World War. Given that fact, the Reich army already had plans drawn up on how this strip of land between the Oder and Warta rivers could be secured militarily. By the 1930 s, a dense and staggered network of bunkers and natural obst- acles had been created. The so-called Oder-Warthe-Bogen fortification front, which was never completed, was partially overrun or simply bypassed by Red Army troops at the end of the Second World War. Some areas were used by both the Soviet occupation forces and the Polish military during the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War, the entire complex was abandoned and forgotten. In the area of the system known as the Burschener Schleife, Panzerbatterie (tank battery) 5 was originally to be built. It is now possible to visit this underground tunnel system. Address: 66 - 218 Boryszyn, Polen www.bunkry 24 .pl Open: January-December GPS : 52 ° 21 ‘ 18 . 5 “N 15 ° 28 ‘ 03 . 2 “E Museum Burschener Tunnel System i Address: Pniewo 1 66 - 300 Miedzyrzecz, Polen www.bunkry.pl Open: January-December GPS : 52 ° 22 ’ 20 . 22 ”N, 15 ° 30 ’ 21 . 80 ”E Museum Oder-Warthe-Bogen Fortress Front i