GPM 0924 WOLFSSCHANZE - Schron Hitlera w Gierłoży

The Wolf's Lair (German: Wolfsschanze) is a fortification structure, serving as the headquarters of Adolf Hitler and the German Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (OKW) in the years 1941-1944. The remains of the building are located in the Gryłów forest near the village of Gierłoż and the town of Kętrzyn (Warmia-Masuria Province). The choice of this area as the dictator's headquarters was dictated by its location near the then German-Soviet border from which Hitler could relatively easily control the actions of German troops in the war against the USSR. Work on the Wolf's Lair under the leadership of Fritz Todt began in the late fall of 1940, and Hitler first arrived at his new headquarters on June 24, 1941. The entire complex covered an area of 250 hectares, was surrounded by barbed wire, and later also by a minefield. There were also observation towers and concrete machine gun positions on its territory. The permanent staff of the facility ranged from 2,100 to 2,200 people. It was in the Wolf's Lair that the attack on the dictator was carried out on July 20, 1944. The facility was in use until November 1944, and then a partially successful attempt was made to blow it up. At present, there is a museum in the Wolf's Lair that has been operating since 1959.