Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

The Salzgitter-type air raid shelter in Kędzierzyn-Koźle is located 100 meters from the cultural center, on Przyjaźni Street. Edmund Geilenberg – High Commissioner for Immediate Actions in the Ministry of Armaments and War Production of the Third Reich – was responsible for its construction. In May 1944, he was given the task of strengthening the protection of fuel plants of the Third Reich against Allied air attacks. One of the actions taken by Geilenberg's order was the construction of above-ground air raid shelters around existing and newly built fuel plants. In Poland – apart from Kędzierzyn-Koźle – they are also found in Zdzieszowice, Oświęcim, and Police. The premise of the Salzgitter-type shelter's design was resistance to a direct hit by a demolition bomb. This was achieved through a special structure made of reinforced concrete 2.5 meters thick, with oval-shaped shelter chambers that facilitated energy dissipation after a bomb explosion. From the inside, the shelter chambers were lined with wooden boards to prevent the formation of concrete splinters. The shelters were equipped with sanitary facilities, telephone communication, and ventilation devices. The slave labor of prisoners from the Arbeitslager Blechhammer concentration camp in Sławięcice was used to build the Salzgitter shelters. Due to the high material consumption of the structure, a decision was made in November 1944 to stop the construction of new facilities of this type. Practical information: Publicly accessible route. Free admission. You should allocate 1-1.5 hours to walk the Stations of the Cross. Parking spaces by the Church of Our Lady Help of Christians.