Dark Passage: Urban Post-Mortems

Scenes from the Ostwall Fortification
Poland

The picturesque countryside between the towns of Kursko and Romanowek in central Poland covers one of the largest subterranean fortification systems built by the Germans during World War II.

It was designed to form an underground barrier against a possible invasion from Russia and was equipped with munitions warehouses and factories, lazarets, living quarters, and control centers, all connected via a rail system. About a dozen underground rail stations serviced the route. Although many of the exterior fortification structures have since been imploded, numerous such remnants still litter the countryside, some offering access into the vast subsurface labyrinth.

A journey through the tunnels and installations can stretch on for days. A few sections have been closed off and designated as tourist areas, meaning they can be visited only with the assistance of official guides. Fortunately the rest of the system is wide open, and the local historians Anna Kedryna and Robert Jurga have published extensive documentations and maps, which are helpful in finding the most interesting sights.

Not only are Kedryna and Jurga a very hospitable couple, but the warnings on their maps have probably saved a few lives. As indicated by the crosses commemorating scenes of fatal accidents, this is not a place to fuck around. There are broken stairs, cement blocks left dangling by implosions, 70 foot drops, rusted grenade launchers good for impaling oneself on, and a plethora of other hazardous delights. In a liability-phobic country such as the U.S., this system would have long been cemented shut. As it is, groups of young men from the local villages come down here to drink apple vodka on the weekends, and it is here that we learned the invaluable skill of making flashlights out of beercans.

Altogether, it is one of the eeriest and most spectacular places so far encountered by your narrator.