23 to 31 May 2009.
For much of its history Poland has been the battleground of its powerful neighbours, and was ultimately wholly partitioned and annexed by Prussia, Russia and Austria. This has left Northern Poland with a remarkable heritage of fortified towns and later ring-fortresses built by those competing empires. The oldest structure on the Tour will be the great castle of the Teutonic Knights at Malbork (Marienburg), reflecting the German eastward expansion in the later Middle Ages. The great brick artillery forts and citadels at Gdansk (Danzig), Modlin and Warsaw survived the final Nazi-Soviet battles in 1944-45, which left as little more than heaps of rubble the towns they were built to protect. Some fortresses were later dismantled to help rebuild those towns.
The Tour will begin on the shores of the Baltic, with battlefields of the German-Polish campaign of 1940, inspecting former Prussian fortresses such as Feste Boyen at Gizycko (Loetzen) in the Masurian Lakes region, before concluding at Warsaw, the centre of Russian-occupied Poland until 1918. En route a visit will be made to Hitler's headquarters near Ketrzyn (Rastenburg).
|
Saturday 23 May: |
Tour begins in Gdansk. Participants may choose to fly to Northern Poland or travel by train to the rendez-vous. Transfer to Gdynia for welcome dinner. Three night stay at Gdynia. |
|
Sunday 24 May: |
Excursion to Polish and German fortifications on the Hela peninsula. |
|
Monday 25 May: |
To Gdansk, Fort Grodzisko {Hagelsberg), the Old Town and its fortifications, the defences at the mouth of the Vistula and Westerplatte. |
|
Tuesday 26 May: |
To the Masurian Lakes region; en route the castle at Malbork and the fortified railway bridge near Tczew (Dirschau). Overnight stay at Gizycko. |
|
Wednesday 27 May: |
Feste Boyen at Gizycko followed by the Wolfsschanze headquarters near Ketrzyn. Overnight at Gizycko. |
|
Thursday 28 May: |
Mauerwald bunker complex with sluices, and Himmler's headquarters. Overnight at Gizycko. |
|
Friday 29 May: |
Drive south to Modlin/Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki. Visit to Citadel and outlying fort. To Warsaw for two night stay. |
|
Saturday 30 May: |
City of Warsaw, the Citadel (guided tour of its southern flank), Fort Legionow/Czerniakow (including the tunnels) and the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising. Farewell dinner. |
|
Sunday 31 May: |
Tour ends. Participants depart by air or train. |
All participants must take out adequate travel insurance, including personal accident, medical, loss of valuables cover etc. They must bear in mind the risks inherent in visiting sites which may be derelict & overgrown. It is a condition of acceptance on the Tour that all participants acknowledge that they come at their own risk & that neither the organisers nor the FSG generally will accept any liability for any accident, injury or loss, however incurred.
The Tour cost is estimated at £1,050. (This is based upon at least 30 participants and may have to be revised if that number is not reached or if there is a significant change in the Sterling/Euro exchange rate). It includes coach travel, interpreters, all entrance charges, 8 nights in hotels, half board (excluding alcohol) and a substantial guide book. The Tour begins in Gdansk and ends in Warsaw; participants are responsible for their travel to and from those destinations. The single room supplement is £160.
Please send the deposit of £250 per person to Ken Tough, at;
Belsize, Grande Rue, Vale, GUERNSEY GY3 5HR. (Tel or fax 01481-242976 or mobile 07781-128519).
Cheques to be made payable to 'K.H. TOUGH-TOUR ACCOUNT'.
Early reservation is strongly recommended.
Dr.-Ing. Hans-Rudolf Neumann and Valentina Neumann, of Wolfswerder 9, D-14532, Kleinmachnow, GERMANY, are organising this Tour for and on behalf of the FSG.
KT. 9.9.08