What was found in the ruins of the bunker. Fritz was here
According to the head of the archaeological expedition “Königsberg 13”, a secret bunker with the gold of the Nazi bank walled up in it, fragments of the Amber Room and the monument to Immanuel Kant by the famous German sculptor Rauch is located in the center of the city - just ... under a modern copy of the monument to Kant
On the verge of discovery - at the dead end of delusions
Last year, during the planned work to study the bunker of the last commandant of Koenigsberg, Otto von Lyasch, we carried out georadar profiling of the surrounding area,” Trifonov explained to an OK-inform correspondent. - Even then, we noticed an incomprehensible cavity at the base of the Kant monument. Now that the radar data has been deciphered, I can say that at a depth of about 8.5 meters, a regular-shaped room measuring 2 by 4 meters was discovered. The height of the room is not determined, because the depth parameters of the GPR are limited.
The local historian is confident that his group is one step away from a grand discovery - Trifonov substantiates the plausibility of his version with a number of previous finds in the same area.
Meanwhile, the local historian’s opponents (and there are a great many of them in the scientific community of Kaliningrad) believe that the announcement of the upcoming discovery is nothing more than a simulacrum.
This all, of course, sounds beautiful, the press should be interested in such things, but the version is more than doubtful,” said Sergei Yakimov, candidate of historical sciences, director of the regional history and art museum. - Trifonov at one time received permission to drill inside the bunker where a branch of our museum is located. After which we heroically fought against flooding for several months. His guys gouged the concrete floor, from where groundwater began to flow to the surface. Of course, such actions and statements attract the attention of museum visitors, but their consequences are quite costly for a budget institution.
Ghost of the Amber Room
We must pay tribute, despite the stream of criticism and regular accusations of unprofessionalism, Trifonov really stands behind a number of vivid revelations of the secrets of the past. In pursuit of fame, the local historian managed to explain some seemingly insoluble mysteries. For example, he found several occult objects belonging to the Medici house.
Trifonov began to develop the version associated with the Lyash bunker not without reason. Several years ago, the historian drew attention to something that no one had noticed before: on the gate of the bunker of the last commandant of Koenigsberg (it was there that the act of surrender of the city was signed on April 9, 1945) many runes were engraved.
The deciphering of the Nordic scripts, which was carried out for several years in Belgium, gave rather controversial results. However, as the local historian interpreted them, the runes inscribed on the gate in this case played the role of a talisman for something very significant. Nevertheless, the experts’ conclusions made it possible for Trifonov to convince high authorities that Lyash’s former command post was an ideal version of the site where the treasures of the Reich could be hidden.
Firstly, in the underground cache itself, all urgent modernization work was completed in 1944, the historian explains his assumptions. - Why was this done when Soviet troops were already stationed in East Prussia? Secondly, Otto von Lyash tried to keep control of the situation until the last moment. We are talking not only about the state of affairs at the front, but also about the progress of the evacuation of valuables. When we began to drill the floor in the commandant’s bunker, we immediately discovered new structural openings and rooms filled with groundwater - all this, of course, was no coincidence. In one of the dungeons, the georadar snatched several boxes, but it was simply not possible to get them out yet.
However, opponents counter Trifonov’s reasons with their no less ironclad theses.
Firstly, completely different people were responsible for the evacuation of valuables to the leadership of the Reich,” argues local historian Dmitry Kaminsky. - Secondly, how do you see the process of hiding the treasure? How can this be done in a bunker, where every minute work is being done to coordinate the defense, where every minute there are, if not hundreds, then dozens of witnesses. The hollow spaces below are structural openings that help contain dampness in underground spaces, nothing more.
According to the archives, Lyash’s bunker, like the neighboring bunker of the burgomaster of Koenigsberg, as well as adjacent territories, were explored repeatedly after the war. And local archaeologists did not find any reasons for more serious expeditions.
Is truth born in excavations?
“I can also appeal to the archives,” the troublemaker argues. - Here is a German certificate (and the Germans are pedantic) that at the beginning of April there were more than 4 tons of gold in the local bank branch. Where is it? No one would have allowed it to be taken away; there was no longer any possibility of evacuating. Here is the report from our financial audit: no gold was found in the bank’s vaults.
According to the local historian, there was no need to organize any pompous events to quickly hide the treasures. All this could be organized quickly, routinely and unnoticeably. And if critics find justification for the arrangement of technical rooms under the Lyash bunker, then how can one explain the presence of an autonomous small room not connected with the command post of the Koenigsberg commandant?
No one knew anything about the cache discovered by the georadar before us,” states Trifonov. - It is absurd to assume that it was made in order to confuse future archaeologists. I am sure that excavations will reveal everything. I have already addressed the President of Russia. I hope that after studying my report in Moscow, no one will interfere with us - the issue will be studied, and the secret will be revealed.
Far away in the forest in the center of northern Germany, strange pipes stick out of the ground.
In the fall of 2014, two men decided to explore this place and find out what kind of pipes they were. You won't believe what they found underground...
1. Since childhood
The man met with his friend living in northern Germany. As a child, he and his friends played in the forest, but they were forbidden to explore the strange pipes sticking out of the ground. As he grew older, he thought that his old friend would want to familiarize himself with the countryside and explore the mysterious pipes.
2. Mysterious pipes
As the friends went deeper into the forest to investigate the strange pipes, they came closer and closer to the area that used to be part of the German Democratic Republic. After a long search, the guest began to think that his friend did not quite remember where the mysterious pipes were. However, they soon came across strange, periscope-like pipes sticking out of the ground.
3. Broken door
Not far from the pipe, two friends discovered a large concrete bunker, which was probably left over from World War II. The entrance to the bunker was closed by a wooden door, but it turned out that it had been broken with a crowbar several years ago.
4. Sinister Staircase
The friends began to explore the place further: the discovery gave them strength. They walked through a broken wooden door and onto the main staircase that led down into the bunker. The iron gate had a broken lock and it swung open without much difficulty. An eerie, musty air wafted from the dark tunnel ahead...
5. Endless corridors
Using their mobile phones to illuminate themselves, the men began to explore the abandoned bunker. The long corridors of the underground passage stretched for what seemed like miles. They walked forward. Their conversation in whispers was interspersed with the moaning of the wind. The ceiling dripped all the time, and this sound echoed throughout the creepy corridor
6. Feeling persecuted
In the endless central tunnel there were dozens of passages that diverged in different directions. The men didn't go far. They thought there was someone in that bunker below, but they didn't know how long ago it had been. They were haunted by the feeling that someone was following them.
7. Don't get lost
Numerous passages branching off from the main tunnel were obviously traps. The friends did not know what awaited them if they went astray. Despite their curiosity, they decided that it would be wiser not to enter these passages, in order to avoid getting lost or falling into a hole.
8. Dead ends
As it turned out, there were several dead ends in the main corridor. Some of them were filled with rubbish that was probably left over from the war. Others seemed to lead nowhere. Perhaps these were shelters for soldiers awaiting invasion.
9. Ruins
It became clear that this bunker was a ruin. The further they went, the more dangerous the premises became. Pieces of masonry, peeling from the walls - there was a lot of this “good”. Literally with every step the musty smell became stronger.
10. Not the first visitors
Some walls were askew and covered in graffiti. Whoever visited this place before them apparently sought to leave their mark here. Maybe they came to find some valuable things, weapons or relics left over from the war? Whatever the reason, it was clear that someone had come here.
11. Warning signs
The graffiti in some places appears to act as a warning. So, the inscription on the left translates as “help”. What could this mean? The desire to scare intruders? What if someone lives in the bunker below? What should friends do if they encounter him?
12. Nakhodka
At the far end of the main corridor, the friends found several heavy iron doors that resembled those of a bank vault. During war they were probably used as a last resort to keep the enemy out. But now, many years later, it all looked as if the doors had been ripped off their hinges by some powerful force
13. Man in the dark
When they wandered into one of the most flooded rooms, it seemed to them that something living was sitting in a dark corner. The men panicked, not daring to move forward. Having looked closely, they realized that the “sitting man” in front of them was just a pile of garbage and a trick of light.
14. Flooded
The rooms and corridors at the far end of the bunker were quite heavily flooded with water. Cracked and crumbling concrete ceilings are likely filled with mold from rainwater that seeps into the ground. Friends thought. After all, if it rains now, no one knows how the bunker roof will behave
15. Strange cars
In the middle of the next room, the friends found a strange machine, made of rusty steel and iron, and seemed to be connected to pipes above. It may have been a World War II heating apparatus used to heat underground tunnels during cold winters.
16. Deep in the Earth
Although the men were nervous, they still went on. They discovered that it was better not to linger in the corridors. The walls were falling to pieces, the entire bunker smelled of mold, there was dirt, rust and sewage everywhere. Realizing that the further they go, the more difficult it will be to breathe, but, nevertheless, the friends decided to explore a little more.
17. Massive hatch
In one of the adjacent rooms there was a massive hatch in the ceiling. They could not get to it, since the staircase that led to it had long since rotted or been removed. Luke reminded them why they came to this bunker and they resumed their search for the mysterious pipes.
18. Purpose of pipes
When they finally found the red pipes on the ceiling, everything became clear to them. The pipes sticking out outside were connected to periscopes, with the help of which the officers surveyed the surroundings in anticipation of their enemy. The riddle was solved, and the friends decided it was time to try to find a way out.
19. Exit
The two friends made their way back to the central corridor of the bunker. Walking through wet, moldy corridors, they accidentally discovered something that prevented them from getting lost.
20. War reminder
Luckily, there was a red arrow painted on the wall of one of the adjacent corridors, pointing towards the exit. The men took advantage of it and went outside. And then they shared their impressions on the Internet, giving the whole world a chance to see an eerie reminder of the war. These pictures shocked the whole world.
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Top secret bunkers that were built for Stalin and Hitler
For a long time, the bunkers of World War II were top-secret objects, the existence of which was known only to a few. But they also signed non-disclosure documents. Today, the veil of secrecy over military bunkers has been lifted.
"Wolf's Lair"
Wolfsschanze (German: Wolfsschanze, Russian: Wolf's Lair) was Hitler's main bunker and headquarters; the Fuhrer's headquarters and the command complex of the German High Command were located here.
The German leader spent more than 800 days here. From this place the attack on the Soviet Union and military operations on the Eastern Front were directed.
The Wolf's Lair bunker was located in the Gierloz forest, 8 km from Kętrzyn. Its construction began in the spring of 1940 and proceeded in three stages until the winter of 1944. 2-3 thousand workers took part in the construction. The work was carried out by the Todt Organization.
The “Wolf’s Lair” was not a local bunker, but a whole system of hidden objects, in size more reminiscent of a small secret city with an area of 250 hectares. The territory had several levels of access and was surrounded by towers with barbed wire, minefields, machine gun and anti-aircraft positions. In order to enter the Wolf's Lair, it was necessary to pass through three security posts.
The demining of the “Wolf’s Lair” by the Polish People’s Republic army continued almost until 1956; in total, sappers discovered about 54 thousand mines and 200 thousand ammunition.
To camouflage the object from the air, the Germans used camouflage nets and tree models, which were periodically updated in accordance with changes in the landscape. To control the camouflage, the sensitive object was photographed from the air.
Wolf's Lair in 1944 served 2,000 people, from field marshals to stenographers and mechanics.
In The Fall of Berlin, British writer Antony Beevor claims that the Fuhrer left the Wolf's Lair on November 10, 1944. Hitler went to Berlin for throat surgery, and on December 10 he moved to Adlerhorst (Eagle's Nest), another secret headquarters. In July of the same year, an unsuccessful attempt was made on Hitler's life at the Eagle's Nest.
The evacuation of the German command from the Wolf's Lair was carried out at the last moment, three days before the arrival of the Red Army. On January 24, 1945, Keitel ordered the destruction of the headquarters. However, this is easier said than done. The ruins of the bunker still exist.
It is interesting that although American intelligence knew about the location of the “Wolf’s Lair” back in October 1942, during its entire existence, not a single attempt was made to attack Hitler’s headquarters from the air.
"Werewolf"
“Werewolf” (another name for “Eichenhain” (“oak grove”)), a bunker located eight kilometers from Vinnitsa, was another headquarters of the High Command of the Third Reich. Hitler moved the general headquarters and his headquarters here from the Wolf's Lair on July 16, 1942.
Construction of the Werewolf began in the fall of 1941. The construction was supervised by the same “Todt Organization”, but the bunker was built mainly by Soviet prisoners of war, who were later shot. According to local historian and researcher of the history of the headquarters Yaroslav Branko, the Germans used 4086 prisoners during the construction. On the memorial to those killed during the construction of the Werewolf, installed near the Vinnitsa-Zhitomir highway, 14,000 dead are listed.
The bunker operated from the spring of 1942 until the spring of 1944, when the Germans blew up the entrances to the Werwolf during their retreat. The bunker was a complex of several floors, one of which was on the surface.
On its territory there were more than 80 ground objects and several deep concrete bunkers. The industry of Vinnitsa provided the livelihood of the headquarters. A vegetable garden was set up especially for Hitler in the Werwolf area.
There was a power plant, a water tower, and a small airfield nearby. The Werewolf was defended by many machine gun and artillery crews, and the air was covered by anti-aircraft guns and fighters based at the Kalinovsky airfield.
"Führerbunker"
The Fuhrerbunker was a complex of underground structures located under the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. This was the last refuge of the German Fuhrer. Here he and several other Nazi leaders committed suicide. It was built in two stages, in 1936 and 1943.
Hitler first visited this headquarters on November 25, 1944. After March 15, 1945, he did not leave the bunker; he only came to the surface once - on April 20 - to reward members of the Hitler Youth for destroying Soviet tanks. At the same time, his last lifetime filming was made.
Stalin's bunker in Izmailovo
In total, some historians count up to seven so-called “Stalin bunkers”. We will talk about two that still exist today, which you can visit if you wish.
The first bunker is in Moscow. Its construction dates back to the 30s of the 20th century. It was part of the state program to ensure the defense capability of the Soviet Union. The construction was personally supervised by Lavrentiy Beria. Then he allegedly uttered the now famous phrase: “Everything that is underground is mine!” The head of Joseph Stalin's personal security, General Nikolai Vlasik, assisted him in his work.
In order to camouflage the object, a cover construction was necessary. It was decided to build a stadium. It was announced in the media: “To ensure the proper holding of the Spartakiad, build a central stadium of the USSR in the city of Moscow. When constructing a stadium, proceed from the construction of spectator stands with no less than 120,000 numbered seats and a sufficient number of various types of physical education facilities of auxiliary value for educational and public use.”
In this way, the Stalinets stadium (today Lokomotiv) was born on the surface, and a bunker was born underground.
Its depth is 37 meters. In case of an emergency, accommodation for 600 people was provided here. Everything was provided for life here, from Stalin’s office and generals’ rooms to utility rooms and food warehouses. Stalin worked here in November-December 1941.
Stalin's bunker in Samara
Stalin's bunker in Samara was built in case of the surrender of Moscow. The reserve headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was located here. On October 15, 1941, the State Defense Committee issued secret decree No. 801ss “On the evacuation of the capital of the USSR, Moscow, to the city of Kuibyshev.” On October 21, 1941, the State Defense Committee issued another secret decree No. 826ss “On the construction of a shelter in the city of Kuibyshev.”
They built it, of course, secretly. The earth was removed at night, the builders lived right there or in secure dormitories nearby. The work was carried out in three shifts; in less than a year, 25,000 cubic meters of soil were removed and 5,000 cubic meters of concrete were poured.
The State Commission officially accepted the bunker into operation on January 6, 1943.
Today the bunker is located under the building of the modern Academy of Culture and Art. Previously, there was a Kuibyshev regional committee here.
Russian researchers spoke about a secret Nazi base opened in the Arctic, called “Treasure Hunter”. The facility was located on the island of Alexandra Land, which is part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago and is located a thousand kilometers from the North Pole. The artifacts discovered by the researchers were well preserved due to the cold northern climate. All finds are planned to be sent to the mainland, where they will be carefully examined and then put on public display. I inquired about the details of the opening.
Press Secretary of the Russian Arctic National Park Yulia Petrova clarified: about 500 items of historical significance from the Second World War were recovered from the ruins of the bunker discovered by scientists - in particular, gasoline cans and paper documents, bullets and personal hygiene items, shoes with a swastika.
Rumors about the existence of a base on the island of Alexandra Land have circulated for many decades. “Before this, it was known only from written sources, but now we have real evidence,” said senior researcher at the national park Evgeniy Ermolov.
Experts believe that the secret base was built in 1942 on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler. Most likely, the Germans began operating the facility in September 1943 and abandoned it in June 1944. Scientists believe the reason for curtailing the mission is trichinosis - infection of station employees with nematodes due to the consumption of raw polar bear meat. Some crew members are believed to have died, and the survivors were evacuated by seaplane BV-138 as part of a special rescue mission. The most valuable equipment was later removed by the German submarine U387.
“Treasure Hunter” is one of the most mysterious Nazi bases in the Arctic. The military became aware of the existence of a meteorological and direction-finding station back in 1942, when Soviet pilots flew near the base's warehouses. However, the Soviet military had observed traces of the presence of Germans on the island before - in 1941, and after World War II, a specially organized Soviet expedition visited the base abandoned by the Nazis, about which fragmentary information has been preserved.
For example, it is known that in September 1951, the icebreaker Semyon Dezhnev, as military journalist Sergei Kovalev reports in his book “Arctic Shadows of the Third Reich,” passed through the strait between the islands of George Land and Alexandra Land. The ship's crew explored an abandoned Nazi station. The expedition discovered five dugouts designed for 30 people, a weather platform and an antenna mast. The base's residential bunker consisted of seven equipment rooms, a bedroom, a dining room, a kitchen and a storage room. A quarter of the structure was hidden in the ground, and the rest was painted with white oil paint.
Video: Unusual Things / YouTube
The dugouts surrounded the trenches, in which the researchers found a radio station, mortars and machine guns. A more powerful radio transmitter was hidden under a tent five kilometers from the coast, in the interior of the island. A motor boat was also found on the coast near the base. The station was invisible from the water and was located half a kilometer from the coast, at an altitude of 30 meters above sea level. Obviously, the “Treasure Hunter” was under the jurisdiction of the Kriegsmarine (from the German Kriegsmarine) - the navy of the Third Reich.
Frame: Unusual Things / YouTube
This was confirmed by the Soviet military, who saw a sub-rock base of German submarines in the area of the Nazi station and airfield on Alexandra Land. Unfortunately, today these witnesses are no longer alive, and the available information about the secret station is a collection of rumors that are difficult to verify. During wartime, there was a Soviet airstrip next to the German airfield and weather station on the island of Alexandra Land. Unlike the German one, it was not located in the most favorable place on the island: it was irregularly blown by arctic winds, so it dried out slowly.
Today Alexandra Land is part of the Franz Josef Land state nature reserve. The only settlement on the island is Nagurskoye, where the border service base and the country’s northernmost airfield are located. Currently, the village's facilities are being actively modernized. In particular, they plan to make the runway year-round - due to the thawing of the soil in the summer, it becomes inoperative.
The second-class runway will measure 2.5 kilometers by 42 meters and will accommodate Su-34 and MiG-31 fighters, as well as Il-78 tankers. A closed-cycle administrative and residential complex with a total area of more than 14 thousand square meters will be built on the territory of the village. The modernized infrastructure on the island of Alexandra Land will allow Russia not only to quickly solve defense problems, but also to follow the general trend of growing interest in the Arctic associated with transport capabilities and the natural resources of the region.
“Yes, indeed, there is such a find, it is now in our museum,” a local historical institution told reporters.
It is also reported that the safe has not yet been opened. It is under heavy security on the museum grounds.
According to The Day newspaper, the safe was found during the construction of a heating main.
It turned out that the find was a German safe, which apparently fell into the basement of the building located on this site during the bombing.
“We can definitely say that this safe is from the Second World War. It ended up so deep in the ground because there were battles in this part of the city. A black layer of soil is noticeable, which indicates that the ground above the find was burning. Perhaps the safe ended up in the basement so deep because of the bombing,” suggested Mikhail Potupchik, head of the cultural heritage protection sector of the Vinnytsia Regional State Administration for Culture and Arts.
German letters were preserved on the safe, and two coins from the occupation period were found nearby.
As reported in May 2015, a group of Argentine archaeologists from the Andres Gurakurari Museum (Buenos Aires, Argentina) found the ruins of old buildings in the deep jungle in the north of the country, which scientists believe could have been the secret shelter of fugitive Nazi criminals. Similar settlements, hidden in remote areas of Latin America, have been encountered by travelers and researchers before. The assumption that these buildings could have been intended for the former leaders of the Reich is supported by some finds made by scientists in the ruins of these buildings.
In the fall of 2016, the Russians in the Arctic hit a previously unknown Nazi meteorological base. The secret facility is located on Alexandra Land, a thousand kilometers from the North Pole. More than 500 artifacts from the Second World War, including gasoline cans and paper documents, were recovered from the bunker's ruins. Experts believe that the facility was built in 1942. The Germans left the base in 1944.
In May 2017, photographer Solveig Grase captured a huge underground Nazi bunker located near the former Dutch fishing village of Scheveningen.
