From 1944 onwards, the Germans established a V-2 experimental testing range in the Wierzchucin area. The facility was moved here after earlier locations had been bombed. Much suggests that its remote location and favourable terrain were important factors in choosing the area. The forests provided natural cover, while the relatively low population density reduced the risk of the facility being discovered. At the same time, the landscape was suitable for conducting rocket tests away from major urban centres. An interesting figure connected with this history is Dr. Hans Kammler, one of the most important people involved in the German rocket programme. Before the war, Kammler lived in Bydgoszcz, meaning that he knew the city and the surrounding region, including the Tuchola Forests, very well. The Polish underground gathers information Almost simultaneously with the opening of the facility, local partisan units began intelligence activities. They observed the area, collected information an...
He came to Toruń twice – first in 1940 and then again in 1944. Yet he spent most of his captivity in Malbork and the surrounding villages. Years later, his family came to Toruń to walk together through the places that may have been part of his wartime story. He was a soldier who became a prisoner of war after the fighting at Dunkirk. His wartime journey took him through many different places, including Toruń and Stalag XXA, the German prisoner-of-war camp operating here. He appeared in the city twice – in 1940 and again in 1944. However, we still know very little about his time in Toruń. Much more is known about the later stages of his captivity. He spent most of his time in Malbork and the surrounding villages, where he worked as a prisoner of war. This is why the Toruń part of his story remains, in a sense, a mystery. This time, we guided his closest family members along the former camp trail – his son, wife and grandson. Together, we visited places that we could identify with certai...