Wolfsschanze
Hello all,
Back in 2013 I took a roadtrip with some friends to see the ruins of the Wolfsschanze in northern Poland. We included a stay at the onsite hotel (converted from the old security building), which added to the experience. I thought I would share some of the photos I took the day we did the tour.
What is amazing about the place is there are no tour guides, no roped off sections. You get a map, and there are signs, but the rest is up to you. Needless to say, caution is to be exhibited given the condition of some of the areas, but it's basically "at your own risk" if you wish to go inside or climb the bunkers.
Not sure any commentary for the photos is needed, but I can go through and add some if others find this interesting. What really got me is the enormity of the place, and the construction of the bunkers themselves. They are absolutely enormous, fortifications like I'd never seen.
One translation is very appropriate, for photo 7. This is a memorial stone with the following inscription:
"In homage to the sapers of the Polish Army, fallen and wounded during the mine clearing of the site of Hitler's war quarters. During the years 1945-1955, they cleared and defused 54,000 mines of varying types." The memorial was funded by the local Veterans Association in 2003.
Any questions, please feel free to ask
Begleitkommando-SS building (which doubles as the hotel), and vehicle garage.
Reichssicherheitsdienst command centre
Reichssicherheitsdienst command centre
Reichssicherheitsdienst command centre
Reichssicherheitsdienst bunker
Kriminalpolizei bunker
Monument to Polish sappers
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Guest bunker
Postal, stenographers, security offices
Martin Bormann's bunker
Martin Bormann's bunker - inside has collapsed
Martin Bormann's bunker - collapsed roof
Martin Bormann's bunker - entrance tunnel with passages to rooms
Martin Bormann's bunker
Martin Bormann's bunker
Martin Bormann's bunker
Adolf Hitler's bunker
Adolf Hitler's bunker
Adolf Hitler's bunker
Adolf Hitler's bunker - main entrance
Adolf Hitler's bunker
Adolf Hitler's bunker
Firefighting pond (right next to Adolf Hitler's bunker)
Hermann Göring's bunker - this section is just part of the roof. Should give you some idea of how tall these things were, I would barely reach the first set of vertical steel strengtheners.
Hermann Göring's bunker
Hermann Göring's bunker
Hermann Göring's bunker
Hermann Göring's bunker - rooftop view
Hermann Göring's bunker - rooftop view
Hermann Göring's bunker - rooftop view, you can just see the AA emplacements. Also, the photo is not crooked, the roof slopes this far due to explosive damage.
Hermann Göring's bunker - fast rooftop passage
Hermann Göring's bunker
Hermann Göring's bunker
Hermann Göring's house/residence
Hermann Göring's house/residence
Hermann Göring's house/residence
Hermann Göring's house/residence
Communications bunker
Communications bunker
Communications bunker
A few extra photos I dug up...
These 2 photos are from the downstairs bunker of Hitler's bodyguard office (which is the hotel shown in the first photo). It is now the dining room for the hotel, and has photos from the time on the walls.
Small photo me to illustrate the scale of the primary bunker buildings.
Toppled AA battery (next to Hitler's bunker)
The interior of Martin Bormann's residence. A lot of the private residence buildings had basements, which are now flooded.
And a few more curiosity photos (only mobile phone quality, but still have bigger versions if you click)
The corridor of the Begleitkommando-SS building. Comfort levels are very basic, with very basic beds and the only modern amenities being a bathroom in each room. It is done well though, as they have tried to not interfere with the overall structure of the building.
The breakfast on offer in the bunker downstairs.
Me standing on top of Görings bunker, taken from ground level.
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