Hitler’s ambitious campaign of dominating the European continent gave us the horrors of the death camps and a deadly World War; it also left us with a number of monuments and relics that Hitler proudly authorized to glorify the Reich. One such monument has been camouflaged in the serenity of green forest in the vicinity of Ukrainian town Vinnytsia for over seven decades.
The thick forest provided perfect cover for the building of this massive semi-military complex. Appropriately named ‘the werewolf bunker’ it was nothing like any other ordinary bunker. On Hitler’s orders, this complex contained everything that Hitler would need – for instance a gym, swimming pools, and conference rooms. According to historians and local legends, the complex was one of a kind with, it is said, an extensive set of luxurious and secure floors underground.
There are some mysteries and myths associated with the bunker including some conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, it was an important headquarters for the Eastern campaign. The Nazi regime oversaw several operations from the Werewolf bunker, but none of them would see any success, hence the legend of the ‘Cursed bunker.’
When Russian troops started pushing the Germans back, the retreating Nazis blew the main entrance to the bunker along with the other entrances to the complex. When the Russian Army reached the bunker, they found that the whole complex was rigged with explosive material and posed a significant threat to the soldiers. The Russians were left with no other option but to blow up the whole structure and soon it was razed to ground along with all its glory and grandeur.
The complex was built by more than 14,000 Soviet prisoners, who were forced to work day and night without any breaks and many died during the construction.
The remaining prisoners were later executed by the Nazis in and around the complex or in one of the many the concentration camp across Europe.