Wolf's Lair
A visit to the Wolf's Lair will leave you mulling over how different the course of history could have been if this attempted assassination on Hitler were successful. The Wolf's Lair was once Hitler's eastern command base and comprises a large camp of reinforced-concrete bunkers, some with walls as thick as 8m (26 ft.). The top Nazi leadership, including Hitler and Hermann Goering, maintained their own personal bunkers. Additionally, there were bunkers for communication and troop commands, a train station, an airstrip, and even a casino bunker. Hitler was a frequent visitor to the Wolf's Lair from its initial construction in 1941 until 1944, when it was abandoned just ahead of the Russian advance as the war drew to a close. In January 1945, the Germans dynamited the bunkers to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The remains are what you see today. The moss-covered bunkers have been preserved in their original "destroyed" state. You are free to walk along the marked paths among the jarring, jagged brick and concrete ruins sitting incongruously amid beautiful pine forests. With the exception of the multimedia film center, the more than 30 ruins are exposed to the elements.
Summer is the best time for unhurried explorations. In winter, the snow-clad view is also quite spectacular. It's worth hiring a guide to give context to the rubbles. Guides mill around the entrance, charging 50 z for 1 1/2 hours of narration; you can also contact Jadwiga Korowaj (tel. 601/677-202; jagoda10@poczta.onet.pl), who has been telling the Lair's tales for over 20 years, in advance. The site also has a basic hotel where a double room goes for 100 z.
A visit to the Wolf's Lair will leave you mulling over how different the course of history could have been if this attempted assassination on Hitler were successful. The Wolf's Lair was once Hitler's eastern command base and comprises a large camp of reinforced-concrete bunkers, some with walls as thick as 8m (26 ft.). The top Nazi leadership, including Hitler and Hermann Goering, maintained their own personal bunkers. Additionally, there were bunkers for communication and troop commands, a train station, an airstrip, and even a casino bunker. Hitler was a frequent visitor to the Wolf's Lair from its initial construction in 1941 until 1944, when it was abandoned just ahead of the Russian advance as the war drew to a close. In January 1945, the Germans dynamited the bunkers to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The remains are what you see today. The moss-covered bunkers have been preserved in their original "destroyed" state. You are free to walk along the marked paths among the jarring, jagged brick and concrete ruins sitting incongruously amid beautiful pine forests. With the exception of the multimedia film center, the more than 30 ruins are exposed to the elements.
Summer is the best time for unhurried explorations. In winter, the snow-clad view is also quite spectacular. It's worth hiring a guide to give context to the rubbles. Guides mill around the entrance, charging 50 z for 1 1/2 hours of narration; you can also contact Jadwiga Korowaj (tel. 601/677-202; jagoda10@poczta.onet.pl), who has been telling the Lair's tales for over 20 years, in advance. The site also has a basic hotel where a double room goes for 100 z.
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