From 6th till 8th July 2007, within the central part of Festungsfront Oder - Warte - Bogen (MRU), there was a special Rally of Internet
portals: stowarzyszeniebastion.com & bunkrowiec.com.pl. Without any official invitations forums users gathered at first July weekend to
absorb historical atmosphere created by underground fortifications system of MRU. The official beginning of the Rally was planned for
Friday, 6th July; however "Bastion" arrived at the place one day earlier. In this way we could delight ourselves longer with incredible
atmosphere which overwhelmed us in the pitch dark undergrounds: silence, darkness and dampness...
The first day was the fight with the weather which hampered our travel to the place. Surrounded by the storm and lightning we
marched evenly till we reached our target which was a pile of WW II reinforced concrete. In the pile there was our aim spot - one of
panzwerks (panzers) of Werkgruppe York. Clothes' change and regenerative meal at 30 meters underground reinforced our tired minds
and bodies. After we had had a chance to inhale some underground air, we started the reconnaissance. 10-kilometer long march along
system's corridors gave us so long anticipated energy, as if it was a magical elixir. For moments like this we travel 300 kilometers across
Poland; to be able to delight with the long walks among millions of tons of steel, concrete history. During the first day we took lots of
photos of the place and spent time comparing its present condition with the one we remembered from our last visit. Then, there was the
time to go to bed underground of course. No mobile reach let us rest from civilization. However the passing time did not want to stop
so when the morning came we had to get out from the undergrounds and welcome the next group arriving at the place. Travelers from
central Poland arrived punctually before noon. That was the beginning of constant talks and discussions which lasted till the last day. In
the meantime new groups arrived from Szczecin, Poznań, Międzyrzecze, Gliwice, Chorzów, Krotoszyn, Kalisz...Company was great and
numerous. Along with the underground experiences we had the chance to try rope descents. It was an utter fun Bigger and smaller
groups researched the underground system and in the evening we gathered in the sleeping place within the next Panzerwerk. For
Saturday we planned to travel to Germany and tidy the underground system - voluntarily of course :) In Germany, in Furstenwalde town
we arranged a visit to one of top secret military bases which used to function in the town in after-war period. In the nearest future its
history will be available at our site. At the same time maintenance works continued as some of us collected the remains of other (less
cultured) tourists. Night underground walks tested our fitness. Over 15-kilometer long, fast walking along underground tunnels made
everybody so tired that all we could think about after that was a comfy sleeping bag.
Sunday morning started with surprised people who came across our sleeping place. One of them asked for directions: "Excuse me,
where should I go now, right or left?" "Down..."- came the answer of our half asleep friend. Those words addressed the imagination of
the reckless wanderer who, supported with the lighter sparkling like a flint in the hands of the primitive man, planned to conquer the
system. Carelessness of people is...well, you all know it well :) On Sunday the farewell began as every group had to travel home after a
two-day rally. Last collective meals, last reconnaissance of the area and...the farewell time came. Till next time; maybe in a short time, with
new insiders.
Why do I write all about this, instead of placing here a short note with who, where and what ? It is all because in this way I want to
thank all the people who arrived at the Rally and with their presence created this incredible, exceptional atmosphere. I want to thank them
for disinterestedness, equality, friendship and many other... Let me mention the name of one of the Rally participants: Koda the dog who
together with morning time cat bravely endured the difficulties of the expedition. It is also worth mentioning that vast majority of us are
family people with jobs and professional life who spend every day struggling with every day chores and problems...For us, the
opportunity to meet friends is one of the focal points of the year, long expected and looked forward to for almost a year. If you want to
join us, you can easily find us...Bunkers' expedition is not only a pastime; it is more a lifestyle, passion, hobby. And we will certainly write
about it in the future...
translated by jaszka