The Molotov Line Bunker in Zwierzyń

Following the green trail from Lesko towards Myczków in Zwierzyń locality, we come across one of few so well-preserved Molotov Line bunkers. This line is a line of Soviet fortifications along the demarcation line with the Third Reich, marked out after the partition of Poland, made by the occupiers in 1939 under the Treaty of Borders and Friendship. The Molotov Line is one of the longest defense systems in Europe, stretching from the Carpathians Mountains to the Baltic sea. The line included 13 fortified regions. In the Bieszczady Mountains and the Bieszczady Foothills, shelters were situated along the San River, which from 1939 to 1941 formed the border between the Third Reich and the Soviet Union and were part of the Przemyśl Fortified Region. The regions, in turn, were divided into resistance points, which consisted of a few or dozen or so shelters, situated close to each other so that they could cover each other. Preserved bunker in Zwierzyń is the field fortification of the 173rd Shooting Division. It is a stone and concrete shelter with a 45mm anti-tank gun or ckm, protecting against side or frontal fire. Visiting the described shelters is facilitated by the Trail of Nadsasańskie fortifications (“Szlak Nadsańskich Umocnień”).