Travel Guide "Remembrance Connects Region Oder-Warta"

62 63 The Space of Fat e The Space of Fat e From the end of the 1920 s, various bunkers were built along the former eastern border of the German Reich. In the Oder region, the so-called Oderstellung (Oder Station) was meant Oderstellung Cigacice/Odereck History Trail The small concrete bunkers built along the Oder River in the 1930s were intended to secure the eastern border of the German Reich. Today, small museums document this history. to protect Silesia and eastern Branden- burg from a possible attack from the east. Between 1928 and 1939 , a total of 650 bunkers were built, and the areas between the individual bunkers were also developed for military purposes as possible fields of battle. After the invasion of Poland by the German Armed Forces, the bunker line initially became militarily useless. It was not until the advance of the Red Army in autumn of 1944 that nume- rous bunkers were rearmed. Howe- ver, they were also unable to stop the advance nor prevent the end of the Second World War. Today, an approximately 4 . 5 -kilometre- long history and nature trail comme- morates this aspect of history. The trail leads from Cigacice to Lesna Góra and also provides information about the former German fortification in the Cigacice (Odereck) area. This section alone preserves about 40 bunkers. On the left bank of the Oder River, in the area from Wrocław to Krosno Odrzańskie, about 650 bunkers were built between 1928 and 1939 . As a southern extension of the fortress front Oder-Warthe-Bogen (today MRU , Mu- seum Oder-Warthe-Festungsbogen), the Oderstellung (Oder Station) was intended to militarily secure the area towards Silesia and the Pommern- stellung (Pomerania Station) the northern area towards Pomerania. However, due to the Oder River being a natural barrier, these fortifications were not as strongly developed as the heavily fortified structures to the north. Only in the defence of the city of Breslau were buildings of the Oder Station also included in the defensive Czerwieńsk Open-Air Fortifications Museum Small standardised concrete bunkers were built wherever a section of terrain was to be secured. These buildings have survived to the present day. ring. Moreover, a lack of equipment and personnel meant that the Oder Station was no longer of military relevance by the end of 1944 . After 1945 , the bunkers were aban- doned. They were too small to be used for other purposes. Conversion into museums or places of remem- brance did not get underway until several decades after the end of the war. Today, the history of the former Oder Station is told in an open-air museum north of the town of Czer- wieńsk. You can visit a total of 14 bunkers there. These properties are open for visiting at various times from June to October. Further information will be published on Facebook at „Skansen fortyfikacyjny Czerwieńsk“. Address: Leśna Góra 66 - 131 Cigacice, Polen www.polska.travel/pl/szlaki/sciezka-dy- daktyczna-cigacice-lesna-gora Open: January-December GPS : 52 ° 01 ‘ 30 . 3 “N 15 ° 36 ‘ 50 . 7 “E Oderstellung Cigacice/Odereck History Trail i Address: 66 - 016 Czerwieńsk, Polen www.facebook.com/SkansenFortyfi- kacyjnyCzerwiensk Open: June-October GPS : 52 ° 03 ‘ 26 . 0 “N 15 ° 25 ‘ 12 . 2 “E CzerwieNsk Open-Air Fortifications Museum i