Wędrowiec Bunker in Węgierska Górka

The concrete walls of this bunker still bear the marks of shells from September 1939. "Wędrowiec" was the heart of the defence of Węgierska Górka: Captain Tadeusz Semik commanded from here, and the crew surrendered only after three days of fighting, when their ammunition ran out. The defenders' courage earned the battle the name "Westerplatte of the South", after the famous defence of the Gdańsk peninsula. Today the bunker houses a museum.

History: a barrier in the Soła valley

In 1939 16 combat bunkers were planned in Węgierska Górka to close the Soła valley, but only five were finished. They were manned by the 151st Fortress Company "Węgierska Górka" under Captain Semik, part of the 1st Mountain Brigade. On 1 September the German 7th Bavarian Infantry Division entered the valley from Slovakia via the Zwardoń Pass.

"Wędrowiec" is a heavy infantry bunker of resistance class D, built in the flat valley of the Żabnica stream over one of its branches. It served as the command bunker. The crew was one officer, three NCOs and 15 privates, armed with a 37 mm Bofors anti-tank gun and three heavy machine guns. The armoured cupola was never installed. Inside were three combat rooms, a corridor acting as an internal airlock, the commander's room, the crew room and a toilet, while the technical section held a battery room with an emergency exit, a filter room and an engine room. On the enemy side the bunker was shielded by an earth bank.

The fighting

As the fighting intensified and couriers could no longer get through, the commander had the doors barricaded. The crew fought on without contact with neighbouring positions and, according to Captain Semik, scored 8 hits on armoured vehicles. When the gun was hit, two soldiers including the commander were wounded and one was killed. On the morning of 3 September the deputy commander, Sergeant Stanisław Raczyński, was killed while firing from the roof against orders. At 17:00 on 3 September Captain Semik surrendered the bunker. German losses in the fighting for Węgierska Górka are estimated at 200–300 men.

What to see

• The bunker interior – combat rooms, an airlock corridor, the commander's and crew rooms, the battery room and the engine room.
• An exhibition about the battle and the defenders.
• Shell marks on the concrete walls and the embrasures.
• A gun and vehicles displayed in front of the bunker.

Tripto tip

The museum in the bunker is open during the summer holidays from 10:00; out of season, check whether a visit is possible before you go. The bunker is on ul. Obrońców Węgierskiej Górki in the Bukowina district. Allow about an hour. Combine it with the "Waligóra" bunker in neighbouring Cisiec – together they give a full picture of the 1939 defence line.