The text is part of the “Unusual Poland” campaign – a series carried out by the Lifestyle editorial team of the Interia portal, in which we present various places, phenomena and phenomena of our country.
Kłomino is a place that captures your imagination even before you get there. It attracts the attention of urbex lovers, history enthusiasts and travelers who are looking for something different in their trips than restored monuments and manicured park alleys. Although it is formally a village, its turbulent past makes it difficult to think of this place as an average, sleepy settlement. , the development of which was abandoned almost overnight. Today, remnants of this history can be found in empty ruins of blocks of flats and overgrown squares.
Where is Kłomino? It didn’t appear on maps for a long time
Kłomino is located in north-western Poland, in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in the Borne Sulinowo commune. Surrounded by forests, away from main communication routes – such conditions were favorable from the beginning.
The location off the beaten path, far from “civilization”, made the place ideally suited to the needs of military plans. For decades, access to it was strictly controlled.
The beginnings of a mysterious base
There was not much room for spontaneity in the Kłomin Uprising. It was not a stronghold formed centuries ago with inhabitants occupying the houses of their ancestors and gradually developing the settlement. when these areas were within Germany. A military base called Westfalenhof was established here, built for the needs of the Wehrmacht.
It was a modern barracks facility for those times, with extensive and well-organized infrastructure. The specific complex included brick residential buildings, training facilities, warehouses and shelters. and from the beginning it functioned as a military enclave to which only authorized persons had access. It is difficult to talk about Kłomin at that time as a typical town. It is more appropriate to categorize it as . During World War II, in the years 1940-1945, the area was used to house prisoners of war.
Kłomino within Polish borders, but still inaccessible
The war and subsequent treaties moved the country’s borders westward. In this way, after the end of World War II, Kłomino officially found itself on Polish territory. However, this did not automatically mean that it became widely available to civilians.
The area was quickly taken over by the Soviet Army, and the settlement, then called Gródek, became one of the largest and most important garrisons of the Northern Group of Forces. For the next decades, inhabited by soldiers, officers and their families. It is estimated that at its peak it could have stayed here permanently, making it larger than many towns in the area.
What did Soviet rule in this area look like? . Separated from the world by a high fence and barbed wire, it offered its residents the most important services. Not only residential premises, but also shops, a hospital and even a cinema. There was life here. On the one hand, some of the former German buildings were demolished – you can find information according to which they were obtained in this way. On the other hand – extensive permanent. More blocks called “Leningrad” were built.
The fence fell down. The whole city with him
They were created in Kłomin. A closed territory that had its own rules and was subject to military discipline. Residents of the surrounding towns knew of its existence, but nothing more. Mystery and inaccessibility created a mysterious and quite dark aura of the place that has survived to this day.
A sudden change in history occurred in the early 1990s and was related to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Poland. This could certainly be described as a turning point, although it was then that the city’s rapid decline began.
One would expect that the local authorities would gain control over the extensive and well-functioning complex. In fact, it turned out to be a cuckoo’s egg. The technical condition was not great. Additionally, there was no clear development concept, and maintenance and renovation costs were too high. The place began to be devastated and stolen, turning into…
Kłomino, which no longer exists
In the following years, various ideas for using the space appeared. A housing estate was being considered, and there were prospects for private ventures. , but such visions were never implemented. Kłomino, today referred to as a forest settlement, began to attract lovers of urbex, i.e. unusual sightseeing, the aim of which is to explore non-obvious, abandoned places.
However, supporters of this form of activity had to take into account the fact that . What’s more, some of them were missing entire staircases, so exploring the nooks and crannies was very limited. Today, the most inquisitive travelers still reach there, but they find that the former landscape of Kłomin is being razed to the ground and it is increasingly difficult to listen to the echoes of the past here.
Can you discover the country only during holidays? In no case! We invite you to “Unusual Poland”, a tourist series of the Lifestyle editorial team of the Interia portal. In the articles published every two weeks, we will show you places and attractions that few people have heard about, we will introduce you to enthusiasts and people with extraordinary skills, we will taste specialties from regional cuisines and we will see how small, local initiatives can cause big changes. See how extraordinary Poland can be.
