The Festungsfront Oder-Warthe-Bogen (Fortified Front Oder-Warthe-Bogen), also called the Festung im Oder-Warthe-Bogen or Ostwall (East Wall), and in Polish the Międzyrzecki Rejon Umocniony, MRU (Międzyrzecz Fortification Region), was a fortified military

defence line A defense line or fortification line is a geographically-recognizable line of troops and armament, fortified and set up to protect a high-value location or defend territory. A defense (military), defense line may be based on natural difficult ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

between the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

and

Warta The river Warta ( , ; german: Warthe ; la, Varta) rises in central Poland and meanders greatly north-west to flow into the Oder, against the German border. About long, it is Poland's second-longest river within its borders after the Vistula, a ...

rivers, near

Międzyrzecz Międzyrzecz (; la, Meserici, german: link=no, Meseritz) is a town in western Poland, on the Obra and Paklica river, with 17,667 inhabitants (2020). The capital of Gmina Międzyrzecz and Międzyrzecz County. Since the Local Government Reorganiz ...

. The part around Międzyrzecz (Meseritz) has been colloquially referred to as the Regenwurmlager. Built in 1934–44, it was the most technologically advanced fortification system of

, and remains one of the largest and the most interesting systems of this type in the world today. It consists of around 100 concrete defence structures partially interconnected by a network of tunnels. Some of the forts and tunnels are available for visiting. The most interesting part is the central section, which begins in the south with the so-called Boryszyn Loop near the village of Boryszyn (Burschen) and extends about 12 km to the north. Another interesting part of MRU is located in Pniewo (Fischerhaus) in the Międzyrzecz District. In the central section the bunkers are interconnected with a system of tunnels, long and up to deep. In the underground system there are also railway stations, workshops, engine rooms and barracks. It is also the largest European underground

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

refuge, giving shelter to some 35,000 bats of 12 species in the wintertime.

History

The design works of the fortified defence line started in Germany in 1932. The first stage, until 1935, included constructing of water obstacles and 12 light

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

visited the construction site in the end of 1935. The end of works was scheduled for 1951. The Soviet army reached the defence line in the course of the Vistula–Oder Offensive in January 1945, before the Germans could deploy troops; the line was broken in three days.

External links

The Fortified Front of Odra-Warta Rivers, Boryszyn Loop

Information about the Boryszyn Loop

Information and Pictures

Short inspection video 2019
Military installations of the Wehrmacht World War II defensive lines Forts in Poland Bunkers in Germany Tunnel warfare Bat conservation {{Germany-WWII-stub

History

See also

External links