Footsteps of WWII · Poland
Wolf's Lair, Gierłoż near Kętrzyn
Headquarters · Jun 1941 – Jan 1945; bomb plot 20 Jul 1944
The story
Organisation Todt built this forest headquarters near Rastenburg in East Prussia, and Hitler moved in on 24 June 1941, two days after the invasion of the Soviet Union began. He spent more than 800 days here, more than anywhere else during the war. On 20 July 1944 Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg left a briefcase bomb at a midday situation conference. Because the meeting was held in a lightly built hut rather than a concrete bunker, the blast was weakened and Hitler survived with minor injuries. He left for the last time on 20 November 1944, and German engineers blew up the bunkers on 24–25 January 1945.
What to look for
Massive slabs of shattered concrete, some walls more than 2 m thick, lie tilted in the forest. Look for the plaque marking the site of the July 1944 conference hut, Hitler's bunker (No. 13) and Göring's bunker, the best preserved.
Plan your visit
Open daily from 08:00; closes 16:00 October–February and as late as 20:00 May–August. Paid entry (about 30 PLN in season, 2026); local guides and audio guides available. A new official site offers online booking. Check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
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Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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