Combat Bunker No. 52 "Wesoła"

In the Wesoła settlement of Dobieszowice, above the floodplain of the Brynica river, a low concrete block with an armoured cupola rises out of an earth embankment. This is heavy combat bunker no. 52 – the key structure of the "Wesoła" Combat Group of the "Silesia" Fortified Area, built in 1938. Together with the bunkers in neighbouring Wymysłów, it was the northernmost element of this fortification line. Today it houses a small museum run by enthusiasts.

History: defending the Brynica floods

Work on fortifications to protect Upper Silesia began in the early 1930s: the first structures went up in 1933, and over time a belt of strongpoints grew from Niezdara in the north to Wyry in the south. The "Wesoła" group was to defend the dyke and weir of a flood reservoir on the Brynica and the crossing near the settlement, while bunker no. 52 covered the ground between the Kozłowa Góra reservoir and Bobrowniki. Work started in 1936 with an embankment across the floodplain and a bridge with a weir. Both were designed from the outset to be blown up: the bridge piers contain mine chambers, and the explosion could be triggered directly from the bunker. The group also included a sham-combat bunker and a dummy structure, and support came from an artillery flanking casemate in Bobrowniki.

What to see

• The model 38 armoured observation and combat cupola on the bunker's roof.
• Embrasures for heavy machine guns – the bunker was armed with three of them.
• The interior: the corridor to the fighting room, the former crew room, the air intake and the rungs leading up into the cupola shaft.
• The fortified weir and dyke on the Brynica – exactly what the bunker was meant to defend.
• The other structures of the group and three restored bunkers in neighbouring Wymysłów.

Did you know?

In September 1939 there was no fighting around Wesoła – fitting-out work continued practically until the outbreak of war. The telephone cable chamber at the rear was destroyed by the Soviets in 1945, and in 1950 the army secured the bunker and restricted access to the interior. In 1999–2003 members of the Pro Fortalicium Association carried out a full restoration: they cleaned up the interior, conserved original fittings, rebuilt the earth banks and repainted the camouflage. In 2021 the bunker and its immediate surroundings were entered in the heritage register.

Tripto tips

The bunker is in Dobieszowice (Bobrowniki municipality, Będzin county), on Wesoła Street, south of the Kozłowa Góra reservoir. According to Pro Fortalicium, in the season from May to September it is open every Saturday from 14:00 to 18:00; individual visitors can also book by phone or e-mail between April and September, and organised groups all year round. A white-and-red national flag on the mast signals that the bunker is open. Allow about an hour for a guided visit, and if you also want to see Wymysłów, arrange it with the association in advance.