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The Mysterious Underground Town Głuszyca - the Osówka Complex
The last, the main, the largest, the most complex of Hitler's headquarters constructed in Lower Silesia.
The underground Complex of Osówka is situated just over a kilometre north-east of the village of Kolce, and at the same distance north of the village of Sierpnica.
Construction work commenced there in the summer of 1943. In time, a massive system of concrete passageways, reinforcements and halls was constructed. The objective of the project was kept secret. Some claim it was to become a secret headquarter of Adolf Hitler. Others maintain that these were to become workshops for an underground armament factory, where a secret weapon was to be manufactured. Most of the work was performed by the prisoners of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp.
 The over-ground part of the Osówka Complex makes for the outer infrastructure of the underground facilities. The level of completion of the work makes the site the leader in the ranking of the most completed over-ground facilities of the "Riese" (German for a giant) project in the Sowie Mountains.
Of these, the most interesting are the tow objects, customarily named Kasyno (Casino) and Siłownia (Power Plant). The Kasyno is 50 metres long.
It is equipped with window holes, a monolithic reinforced concrete roof, chimney ducts, installation pipes, as well as external heat insulation from chip-and-concrete boards. The ceiling was constructed in the form of a trough, which was to be filled with soil and plants at a later stage. Siłownia, on the other hand, is a concrete block consisting of containers and rooms, complete with steel-clamped hatch doors.
The Osówka Complex is located within the administration boundaries of the town of Głuszyca, in the District of Wałbrzych. It is considered to be the most interesting and the largest complex of that kind in the Sowie Mountains.
The Mysterious Underground Town Głuszyca - the Osówka Complex is open to visitors all year round, except:
- the first day of Easter,
- All Saints' Day (1 November),
- Christmas Eve (24 December),
- Christmas Day (25 December),
- New Year's Eve (31 December).
The underground passages are open:
April-September - daily from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.
October-March - daily from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.
Tours:
April-September: 10:15, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00
October-March: 10:15, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00
Admission:
Normal ticket - 12.00 zlotys,
Concessions - 10.00 zlotys (pensioners, students)
Group - 9.00 zlotys (organised groups of over 25 persons)
The Underground Trail:
Second route - extreme, open May-September
Admission 18.00 zlotys
Tours: 10.15, 12.15, 14.15, 16.15
Pre-booking essential
It is very cold underground, so wearing warm clothes is advised even in the summer
Secure car park operating in the opening hours:
Car - 4.00 zlotys
Coach - 10.00 zlotys
Organised groups are requested to pre-book at the Tourist Information Office in Głuszyca:
Biuro Informacji Turystycznej
(Tourist Information Office)
ul. Grunwaldzka 20
58-340 Głuszyca
tel. +48 74 845 62 20
fax +48 74 845 63 32
e-mail: biuro@osowka.pl
The TIO offers information on the possibilities of visiting the facilities, and arrange foreign-language speaking guides. The Office operates Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and seasonally on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
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