(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); This has taken me ages But here you go, This iseverything to do with the nazis project riese sorry theirs so much to read lol

Project Reise



Riese (German giant) – the code name of the mining and construction project of Nazi Germany, started and unfinished in the Owl Mountains and Książ Castle in 1943 - 1945. It consists of seven complexes of the underground military facilities located in Lower Silesia, previously Germany, now territory of Poland.

History

Complex Osówka
Complex RzeczkaIn the presence of the increasing Allied air raids Nazi Germany moved a large part of its strategic armaments production into - considered to be safe - the District of Sudetenland. In 1942 the project was created of Hitler's headquarters in Książ Castle and underground factories below the Owl Mountains.

For this purpose the company Schlesische Industriegemeinschaft was established in autumn 1943 and several thousand prisoners and POWs were assigned to forced labour. But with the unsatisfactory progress of work in April 1944 the supervision of the construction was handed over to the Organisation Todt.

The plans included adaptation works in Książ Castle, the creation of the underground complex below the castle, the construction of tunnels and large underground halls at several locations in the Owl Mountains. The rocks of the mountains were drilled and blasted by explosives. For this purpose the mining specialists were employed, mostly Germans, Italians, Ukrainians and Czechs. In this way tunnels and halls were created and reinforced by concrete and steel. The whole was armed with the network of roads, narrow-gauge railway, water supply, sewerage and telephone lines.

According to Albert Speer's memoirs:

"In 1944 Hitler ordered the construction of two underground headquarters, and hundreds of necessary mining construction specialists were hired, together with thousands of laborers, in Silesia and Thuringia...At a briefing on June 20, 1944, I informed the führer that about 28,000 laborers were working at the time on expanding his headquarters. The construction of the bunkers in Kętrzyn (Wolf's Lair) cost 36 million marks, the bunkers in Pullach, which ensured Hitler's safety when he was in Munich-13 million marks, and the Riese bunker complex near Bad Charlottenbrunn (Książ Castle)-150 million marks. These construction projects required 257,000 cubic meters of steel-reinforced concrete, 213,000 cubic meters of tunnels, 58 km of roads with six bridges, and 100 km of pipelines. For the Riese project alone, more concrete was used than was earmarked in 1944 for the whole population for the construction of air-raid shelters."

Before the entry of the Red Army many underground structures have been destroyed, or at least tunnels leading to them were blown up. In the documents of the Third Reich there are records which allow to assess the quantity of materials used in the construction of the project Riese and the volume of the tunnels. On this basis it appears that about half of the underground corridors has not been found yet.

There is no longer doubt that the castle and its immediate surroundings were prepared as one of the main Hitler's headquarters. The purpose of the underground complexes in the mountains is not determined. The opinions of experts incline towards assumption that they were shelters for war production.

Presently the undergrounds are visited by tourists and the enthusiasts of military facilities. Much of the underground is closed because of risk of accidents. Groups of amateur speleologists explore inaccessible tunnels. The complexes Rzeczka, Włodarz and Osówka are available to visitors.


The individual structures of the project

Książ Castle

Książ Castle
Complex KsiążKsiąż Castle (German Fürstenstein Castle) is located near the town of Wałbrzych. The castle’s last owner in the inter-war period was the Hochberg family, one of the wealthiest baronial dynasties in Prussia, Hans Heinrich and his English wife Mary-Theresa Olivia Cornwallis-West (Princess Daisy). In 1941 the Nazis confiscated the castle. At that time sons of Daisy and Hans Heinrich fought against Hitler’s army - one in British Army and one in Polish Armed Forces in the West.

The works in Książ Castle led to the destruction of some chambers, in particular suffered the decorative elements of the ceilings and floors. The most serious work, however took place outside the castle architectural structure.

A narrow-gauge railway was connected to the castle. The prisoners of Arbeitslager Fürstenstein, created at the foot of the castle, were main work force. In the vicinity of the castle a series of large chambers and buildings were created. There are at least two levels of corridors and chambers connected to the castle cellars. The first level is 15 m under the ground (80 m long, 400 m³), the second 53 m under the courtyard contains four entrances, the network of wide tunnels (5 m high and 5.5 m wide) and four chambers reinforced by concrete. The total length of the complex is 950 m (13000 m³). Presently it contains seismological measuring equipment of the Polish Academy of Science, only a small part of the underground is opened for visitors.
You must login or register to view this content.[img][IMG]https://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz264/James__Boii/300PX-4.jpg[/img]
[img][IMG]https://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz264/James__Boii/300PX-2.jpg[/img][/IMG]
Rzeczka

Complex RzeczkaThere are three entrances created in a rocky slope leading to parallel tunnels about 45 m away from each other. Between them are large halls. Higher level of undergrounds can be observed in one of the guardrooms through CCTV camera installed in the ceiling pipe. This level is still inaccessible. The length of the complex of tunnels is 500 m (14000 m³). Built above the ground was the main telephone exchange, capable of serving a few hundred phone numbers[2]. In 1995 the complex Rzeczka was opened for visitors and in spring 2001 transformed into museum. It contains exhibits connected to history of the project Riese.

[img][IMG]https://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz264/James__Boii/rzec1.jpg[/img][/IMG][img][IMG]https://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz264/James__Boii/rzec.jpg[/img][/IMG]
Włodarz

Complex WłodarzThis huge complex is the most advanced of all. There are four entrances. The entire complex is a large amount of corridors intersecting at right angles and forming a grid. It contains one of the biggest unfinished halls (10 m high). Some of the corridors have higher second levels. Approximately 30% of the complex is flooded and can only be accessed by boat. The total length of the tunnels is 3024 m (42000 m³). Above the ground are foundations for machinery and buildings, the reservoir of water and storehouses with thousands of fossilized bags of cement. The network of narrow-gauge railway, existing here after the war was disassembled and scrapped. The complex is opened for visitors.


Osówka

Complex OsówkaThe complex has two entrances and one tunnel not connected to the main underground. Two dams retaining water prevent flooding of the complex. The total length of the tunnels is 1700 m (30000 m³). Above the ground are foundations for machinery and buildings, the depots of building materials and the reservoir of water. Two objects are particularly interesting, the so-called "officers' mess" (679 m²) and "power station" (894 m²). The complex is opened for visitors.

[img][IMG]https://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz264/James__Boii/oso12.jpg[/img][/IMG][img][IMG]https://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz264/James__Boii/oso.jpg[/img][/IMG]
Jugowice
This small complex has seven entrances leading to seven independent tunnels. Tunnel number 2 is developed to the length of 300 m, the rest are between 5 to 40 m. In tunnel number 6 there are armoured doors and behind them the tunnel is collapsed. The identified underground has length of 460 m (4000 m³). Above the ground are remains of building and storage infrastructure.


Soboń

Complex OsówkaThe small complex contains three tunnels running from three directions to one point. The total length of tunnels is 700 m (4000 m³). Above the ground are several buildings and a bunker.


Sokolec
This small complex consists of two independent undergrounds 1 km apart, on different levels, with two entrances each. The total length of tunnels is 850 m (7100 m³). Above the ground are remains of building and storage infrastructure.


The work of prisoners

Complex RzeczkaPrisoners were the main work force in the construction of the project, in the overwhelming numbers they were Jews. Their imminent death was to ensure the maintenance of secrecy. They were deployed in twelve camps in the vicinity of the complexes. The network of these camps has been named Arbeitslager Riese and was part of the concentration camp Gross-Rosen.

According to incomplete data there were at least thirty-six thousand prisoners working for the project. It was possible to determine the names of nearly seven thousand of them. The work of the prisoners was very hard. They bored tunnels inside mountains, built roads and railway tracks, worked in the transportation of building materials. Mortality was very high because of malnutrition, exhaustion, dangerous underground works and the treatment of prisoners by German guards


Rep, Thank , Nominate^

Nice. Those pictures of the tunnels. I have been to that Museum and i never made the connection to NZ's. Nice

great info

Wow, very nice good work finding that.

So much to read but so worth it NICE