German Eastern Border Fortification
The fortification of the MRU began in 1936, and by the outbreak of the war the Germans had built 106 reinforced concrete bunkers, including 21 connected by a network of underground tunnels with a total length of over 30 kilometres and a depth of up to 40 meters. A powerful system of fortifications, supplemented by dams, was to secure the most important section of the eastern border of Germany. It became, after the Maginot Line, one of the most interesting fortification complexes in Europe. The Międzyrzecki Fortified Region stretches over nearly 80 kilometers between Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. The labyrinth of tunnels, railway stations and halls, built several dozen meters underground, fascinates with the scale of the project, innovative technical solutions. The register of monuments of the National Heritage Institute includes the central section of fortifications, selected military objects, a complex of underground corridors and a complex of anti-tank barriers, the so-called dragon's teeth located in the current municipalities of Międzyrzecz and Lubrza.The military fortification system reinforced with dams was built by the Germans in 1934-1944 to defend the eastern border. It is counted along the Maginot Line among the most interesting European fortification complexes. Its construction, as in the case of the famous fortifications on the French border, was determined by an erroneous assessment of the future strategy of warfare. The construction of the fortifications was never completed according to the developed plans. By the outbreak of the Second World War, about a third of the assumptions had been realized. Work was halted on Hitler's orders in 1938 due to high costs and a change in military doctrine. Trench warfare was replaced by blitzkrieg. During the war, the underground tunnels were adapted by Daimler-Benz as factory premises where aircraft engines were manufactured and repaired. The fortifications played a role in January 1945, stopping the advance of Soviet troops for three days, which made it easier for the Germans to take defensive positions on the Oder line.
