Stollenanlage im Kohnstein, Underground tunnel system in Nordhausen, Germany
The Stollenanlage im Kohnstein is an underground tunnel network dug into the Kohnstein hill near Nordhausen, in Thuringia, made up of two long parallel main tunnels connected by many cross galleries. The tunnels run at different levels and open into large chambers carved directly into the rock.
Gypsum mining began here in 1917, and the site was later expanded into a secret weapons factory starting in 1943, known as the Mittelwerk. Prisoners from the newly established Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp were forced to work on expanding and running the facility under extreme conditions.
The tunnels are now part of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp memorial, and visitors walk through the same passages where forced laborers once worked. Marks left on the rock walls and remnants of the original installations are still visible along the route.
Access to the tunnels is only possible as part of a guided tour, which covers the sections open to visitors. The temperature inside stays low throughout the year, so bringing an extra layer of clothing is a good idea regardless of the season.
The cross galleries of the Mittelwerk were used to assemble V-2 ballistic rockets, among the first objects of their kind to be produced on an industrial scale. After the war, a number of completed rockets found on site were taken by US forces and shipped to the United States.
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