Podziemne Fabryki Walimia

Walim Underground Factories - Kompleks Rzeczka - Unternehmen Riese


Useful Information

Location: Walim, ul 3 Maja 26, province of Walbrzych. Between Walbrzych and Klodzko, east of the road No. 383.
(50.688345682394390, 16.444648874227230)
Open: MAY to SEP Mon-Fri 9-17, Sat, Sun, Hol 9-18.
OCT to APR Mon-Fri 9-16, Sat, Sun, Hol 9-17.
Tours every 40 min.
Closed Easter Sunday, 01-NOV, 24-DEC, 25-DEC.
[2020]
Fee: Adults PLZ 22, Children PLZ 18, Children (0-3) free, Students (-26) PLZ 18, Seniors PLZ 18, Disabled PLZ 18.
Audioguide PLZ 14.
[2020]
Classification: SubterraneaFactory
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: L=500 m, Ar=2,500 m², V=14,000 m³, T=5 °C
Guided tours: D=70 min, L=750 m. Audioguides in English Deutsch - German Česky - Czech Français - French
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:  
Address: Owner: Walim Municipal Office, 58-320 Walim, ul Samorzadowa 1, Tel: +48-74-8457-323.
Management: Walim Tourist Bureau, 58-320 Walim, ul 3 Maja 26, Tel: +48-74-8457-300. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1943 construction started.
1944/5 construction ended unfinished at the end of World War II.

Description

The underground structure named Unternehmen Riese (Project Giant) includes seven undergound structures in the Góry Sowie (Owl Mountains) of former Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia). The construction was started by the Third Reich Germany in 1943 and at the end of 1944 when the Red Army came close they were abandoned, still unfinished. Most likely is the intended use as an underground factory for war production. Some say it was intended as an hideout for Hitler, a Führerhauptquartier similar to the Wolfsschanze bunker. And there is a chance that it was intended for the construction of a super weapon, especially the atomic bomb. Some even guessed it could be the location of the lost Bernsteinzimmer, the amber room.

At the moment three of the seven underground factories are open for the public, at Rzeczka, Osówka and Walim. At the village Walim is the centre of the whole structure, the Kompleks Rzeczka (Rzeczka Complex) with a museum and the above mentioned exhibitions. It is the ideal starting point for visiting the underground structures.