Museum of the Pomeranian Wall and the Second World War in Szczecinek

The Museum of the Pomeranian Wall and the Military History of Pomerania in Szczecinek is housed in a former German combat bunker from 1934-1935, part of the Pomeranian Wall fortifications. The museum's website calls the structure a B-Werk and says it is the best-preserved bunker of this class in Pomerania.

What the bunker is and how it survived the war

The bunker was built as part of the Pomeranian Position, as the Germans called this belt of fortifications. It has 21 combat, auxiliary, living and technical rooms. According to the museum it took no part in the fighting in February 1945, when the Russians captured Szczecinek. In March 1945 Soviet sappers blew off the main armour plates and damaged the upper storey, and the lower floor was filled with rubble so that it would be inaccessible. In the 1960s a gravel pit began operating on the site, which gradually uncovered the whole body of the structure.

The museum in the bunker

Revitalisation took place in 2009-2012, and the museum opened in July 2012. It is run by a tourist and history association. Inside are displayed mementoes connected with the fortifications of the Wall and the fighting to break through them in 1945: weapons, items of uniform and equipment, and vehicle parts, as well as mementoes of the Polish Army units stationed in Szczecinek after the war. Next to the bunker stands an open-air exhibition with a T-34-85 tank and two 85 mm anti-aircraft guns.

The museum's second site

The museum also opens the bunkers of the Góra Śmiadowska Fortified Group near the village of Śmiadowo. If a visit to the bunker on Kościuszki makes an impression on you, also check the Regional Museum in the Szczecinek area.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Kościuszki 93, Szczecinek.
• According to the museum's website the venue is seasonal: from 1 May to 30 September it is open on Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00-17:00, with the last entry half an hour before closing.
• Outside the season and on other dates, a visit requires prior arrangement by phone; the number is on the museum's website. Check the current hours before you travel.
• In the town you can also see the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes.