A unique attraction is the Międzyrzecz Fortified Region group of fortified units constructed by the German III Reich between 1934 and 1938 in the frontier strip between the Odra and Warta rivers.

This unusual object of military architecture comprises around 100 fortified objects. A labyrinth of tunnels and corridors linking military objects, underground railway stations, groups of ammunition stores and military barracks were constructed at a depth of up to 35 metres. The axis of the whole construction is the main north-south corridor from which numerous side corridors branch, leading to multi-chamber objects from which reinforced concrete steps lead to the surface part of the object - the bunker. An exit corridor linking the main corridor with a large exit gate is situated in the central part of the underground section. Tourists are flabbergasted to remark the belt of anti-tank obstacles - so-called dragons' teeth - and panzer firing points, the six-gun military domes of which weigh around 50 tons and have walls 250 to 300 mm thick. The total length of the corridors is around 30 kilometres while their area with chambers is more than 9 hectares.

A large part of the underground section is humid and many corridors are flooded, the water trickling down the walls to create various forms of drip swellings: numerous stalactites, stalagmites, columns and stony draperies. Their numerous diverse shapes are unique for such underground areas.

The underground corridors of this Fortified Region hold Europe's largest bats reserve which live here not only in the winter but throughout the whole year. Many types of bats find optimal hibernation conditions here due to the large underground area, the various microclimate conditions and the wide choice of available hideaways. This underground habitat is of huge importance to the population of bats in a wide area of central Europe, with bats flying in here from as far as 250 kilometres Around 30,000 bats of 12 species hibernate in this Fortified Region.

Kontakt
GRUPA WAROWNA SCHARNHORST
PODZIEMNA TRASA TURYSTYCZNA
Pniewo
66-305 Kaława
Tel./fax 095 741 99 99
MIEDZYRZECKI OŚRODEK SPORTU I WYPOCZYNKU
Os. Kasztelańskie 8A
66-300 Międzyrzecz
Tel.095 742 23 35,
Fax. 095 742 22 97 (biuro)
mosiw@poczta.fm