10 days, Poland and Germany
From £1485
Welcome! Get to know the trip’s schedule and join us on this journey "Between the East and West". During our travels, we will visit a number of museums and relicts which form the foundations for military engineering’s evolution from the nineteenth century until the period of the Cold War. The main places we will visit will be fortresses, bunkers and birthplaces of important moments in military history.
Here's what's waiting for us : We will start by visiting the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw. The exhibition will bring us closer to the heroic civilian population of Nazi-invaded Warsaw and will convey the magnitude of the devastation that descended upon this city after the fall of the uprising. We will get to know the art of Russian military architecture of the nineteenth century when the explore Fortress Lomza. Once these,we will get to try out all sorts of weapons at the shooting range - 30 rounds of ammunition for AK-47 free! Further activities and places that await us are the German headquarters from WWII: Himmler's bunker, Land Command bunkers and Hitler's headquarters, the"Wolf's Lair". It was here that Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Hitler; it is known as Operation Valkyrie.
On the way from Masuria to Gdansk, we will stop at a bridge in Tczew. Due to its location and construction, it was of great strategic importance on the eve of WWII. The bridge's pillars were armed with 10 shooting posts. In Ggansk, we visit the place where World War II began - Westerplatte. On the Hel Peninsula, we will visit a cluster of bunkers, which define the Polish military engineering before WWII, and also the place where the biggest land cannons - 406mm - reside.
The next place we will visit is bursting with attractions - Borne Sulinowo. Until 1990, it was one of the most covert Soviet bases in Europe. Currently, this small town is home to the International Military Vehicle Rally. It is a wonderful and big event - armored vehicle rides, cavalry demonstrations, parachutists, live music, military market stalls, and much more. Not far from here is another place worth visiting: rocket storages with nuclear war heads. Although Soviet propaganda claimed that they have not located any nuclear weapons in the Eastern Europe, the truth is that 178 rockets were found on Polish territory. Some of them being up to 30 times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. We will also visit the very secret bunker that belonged to the Polish Army Command centre from which the signal to fire these rockets was supposed to be released.
On the way to the German border, we will stop at a Prussian fortress, where we will get military training under the command of a Prussian officer. After crossing the border, we will go to the town of Peenemunde, where we will explore the V1 and V2 rocket factory, which the Nazi used to blitz London during WWII and Soviet submarine "Juliet - class" from the Cold War period. To finish off, we will explore the complex underground bunkers known as Festungsfront Oder-Warthe-Bogen (Fortified Front Oder-Warthe-Bogen). It is a maze of more than 30 km of underground corridors linking various artillery stations. It is known as "The East Maginot Line".
PROGRAMME:
Day 1 Sunday:
Warsaw:
Meet and pick up from the airport. Check in at the hotel followed by lunch. A visit to the Warsaw Uprising Museum 1944. A walk through Warsaw Old Town and dinner for all participants, then back to the hotel.
Day 2 Monday:
Warsaw and departure to Masuria Lake district:
Departure for Masuria, stopping on the way to visit Lomza Fortress, a shooting range and a break for lunch. Continuation of our journey to Masuria. A break to see Himmler's bunker. A visit at the museum and complex of the Command of Land Forces OKH bunkers. Stop at a hotel.
Day 3 Tuesday:
Masuria Lake district and Gdansk:
A visit to one of Hitler's main headquarters "The Wolf's Lair". Lunch and driving to Gdansk. A break at a bridge in Tczew. Check in at a hotel in Gdansk, a walk through Gdansk Old Town and St. Dominic's Fair followed by free time.
Day 4 Wednesday:
Pomeranian:
A visit to Westerplatte then a drive to Gdynia to see the 11BAS Artillery battery followed by a choice of: Maritime Museum, ORP Blyskawica (battle ship), Aquarium, free time on the promenade and beach. Drive to Wladyslawowo and check in at a hotel.
Day 5 Thursday:
Hel Peninsula:
Exploring a complex of Polish bunkers on the beaches of Jastarnia on the way to Hel. A visit to the Museum of Coastal Defence and the largest land cannon in the world as well as artillery batteries from WWII period. Train ride to an ammunition holding place and a fire control tower. In the afternoon, a walk around Hel and a dinner for all participants. Return to hotel.
Day 6 Friday:
Borne Sulinowo:
Drive to Borne Sulinowo, stopping along the way to visit a former holding place of nuclear warheads. In Borne Sulinowo, there will be lots of activities available during the International Rally of Military Vehicles including: military vehicle rides, military market stalls, live music etc. In the evening, check in at a hotel.
Day 7 Saturday:
Swinoujscie:
Drive to Swinoujscie. Visit to the location of V3 rocket launchers and the "Underground City" - covert Polish Army command bunkers. Check in at a hotel followed by lunch. A night tour of Gerhard's Fortress with flaming torches then a bonfire with snacks. Return to hotel.
Day 8 Sunday:
Peenemunde:
Drive to Peenemunde. A visit to the factory of V1 and V2 rockets (bombed by the RAF in 1943) followed by a tour of a Soviet submarine. Departure to Boryszyn.
Day 9 Monday:
Festungsfront Oder-Warthe-Bogen, MRU:
An exploration of the underground Fortified Front Oder-Warthe-Bogen - aka "The East Maginot Line" including the "Dragon's Teeth", 30km of underground corridors and... 32,000 bats! Bring warm clothes, sturdy shoes and a flashlight. Lunch followed by the return to Warsaw.
