Nearly 400 metres long, 12 metres tall and with massive walls that in some places are more than three metres thick, the railway bunker in Stępina is impossible to miss, especially as there are other smaller military structures nearby.
A shelter for Hitler
On the border of the villages of Stępina and Cieszyna (near Frysztak) there is an unusual facility. This is where the head of the Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler and the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini met in August 1941. Even today we do not know what they talked about. All that is known is that they were completely safe in the above-ground bunker tunnel.
High-security structure
They were safe not only because of the thick walls, but also owing to the special engineering structure of the bunker. The arch-shaped building was designed to provide protection against direct assault from the air, and potential bombs hitting the facility were expected to slip down the curved walls. Moreover, according to the engineers, the walls were designed to withstand 500 kg artillery shells even if they would hit the same spot several times. Owing to a system of locks and hermetically sealed gates, the structure also provided protection against chemical and biological attack. Inside there were many other technical facilities, storage areas and shelter rooms for the personnel and the train crew. Throughout the war the facility was always ready to receive the special military trains.
Relics of the headquarter complex
In total, the bunker complex today contains seven structures out of the dozens built in 1940-41. In addition to the tunnel itself, there is also an engine room, connected with the main building via an underground passage, which was just as well protected. There are also five much smaller shelters. The Germans built a grass airstrip within the complex, as well.
Treasury and mushroom farm
After the war, for obvious reasons the army was in charge of the bunkers initially, but in the 1960s, administration of the complex was transferred to the National Bank of Poland. The tunnel was to be used as a repository for the state mint and, in the event of a real threat, documents or other deposits were to be kept here. However, the facility was never used for these purposes, and eventually was transformed into a mushroom farm, which existed here until the 1990s. Since the year 2000, the complex has been administered by the Frysztak Municipality and is now open to the public.
You can learn more about the landmark on the website of the Railway Bunker in Stępina.