Pniewo

Pniewo is a settlement located in the district of Międzyrzecz, Lubusz Province. This area is home to a unique tourist route, which contains remains of military dug-outs (bunkers) and tunnels, which are commonly referred to as the Panzerwerks of the Festungsfront Oder-Warthe-Bogen (MRU, Międzyrzecz Fortification Region). It is considered to be one of the vastest underground fortification systems in the world. The total length of all underground tunnels is estimated to be approximately 32-34 kilometres.

The Międzyrzecz Fortification Region is a fortified military defence line built by the German Army in the years 1934-1944, comprised of three sections: the northern section that connects with the southern corner of the Pomeranian Wall near Gorzów Wielkopolski, the central section with the strongest fortification segments, running through the villages of Kęszyca and Pniewo to the village of Boryszyn; and the southern section, running from the village of Lubrza to the Oder River.

The tourist route currently opened to visitors has many different variations to enjoy, for example underground sections: a shorter one of 1.5km and a longer one of 3km, as well as many different routes running above the ground. The underground segments of the central section are currently a sanctuary for bats (giving shelter to approx. 35.000 bats of 12 species).

The village of Pniewo is also home to an open-air ethnographic museum of military equipment and a still operational underground trolley (handcar).

Film director Wiktor Skrzynecki chose the facilities of the Międzyrzecz Fortification Region as a location to shoot the film ‘Felix, Net i Nika oraz Teoretycznie Możliwa Katastrofa‘ / ‘Felix, Net & Nika and Theoretically Possible Catastrophe’ (2012).