Ksiaz Castle
Sitting on a wooded hilltop in Walbrzych in southwestern Poland, Ksiaz Castle was seized by the Nazi in 1941. The Nazi started to build a labyrinth of tunnels and bunkers some 50 metres beneath the castle but failed to complete it before the end of war. Whether it was to become the Nazi command headquarters or a nuclear weapons laboratory, its true purpose remains a mystery. And so does the legend of the secret train filled with gold hidden in the labyrinth.
Cracow
With the Wawel castle as the residence of the Nazi governor Hans Frank, Cracow did not suffer destruction in World War II. In January 1945, when the Red Army approached at full speed, the Germans started to retreat. Usually, they left nothing but scorched earth behind them, yet Cracow somehow came through unscathed. Was it the strategic genius of Marshal Ivan Konev that saved Cracow, as the Communist propaganda held, or the fact that the German themselves had too little time blow it? According to some theories, Cracow was saved because no one had interest in destroying the city. Which theory is true?
Wolf's Lair
Located in the Masurian woods in Gierloz, the Wolf's Lair was Hitler’s first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II. In 1941-44, Hitler spent around 800 days here, taking solitary walks with his dog and dealing with all sorts of military and non-military matters. Despite the bunker being heavily guarded, the assassination attempt against Hitler took place on July 20, 1944.
Miedzyrzecz Fortified Region
Built in 1934–44, the MMR is an example of the most technologically advanced Nazi fortification system. It consisted of some 100 concrete defence structures interconnected by a network of underground tunnels, fitted with essential equipment – lighting, sewage ventilation and waterwork systems. It included stockrooms, barracks, ambulances and an engine room. Today, some of the forts and tunnels are available for visiting, while the fortification itself is the largest European underground bat refuge.
Nazi concentration camps
The Nazis operated many of their most infamous death camps in Poland, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sobibor and Treblinka, to name the few. The most lethal of them, Auschwitz has become the emblematic site of the “Final Solution Plan”. Supposedly, Auschwitz was chosen to play a central role in the plan because it was located at a railway junction with 44 parallel tracks—rail lines that were used to transport Jews from throughout Europe.
