Unterstand-Stollen

Approximate coordinates of "Eingang B": 48°53'26.70"N 5°31'8.42"E

The site of this Unterstand-Stollen features three entrances in the rear trench known as Lang-Graben, and is connected underground by a long tunnel to two entrances in the trench called Giesecke-Graben. Notably, the tunnel also opens into a natural cavern, where the Germans installed a steel ladder that remains intact more than a century later. A portion of the tunnel continues further inland, reinforced there with a concrete passage.

Update: now that the initial emotional and impulsive reactions have somewhat subsided, I would like to clarify the following:

I was recently informed by one of my contacts that the owner is considering legal action, as a great deal is at stake for them. From a human perspective, I can fully understand their position. If the permits were obtained correctly, then no blame can reasonably be attributed to the owner.

However, this raises important questions regarding the authorities who granted those permits. It is unclear whether this may be due to a lack of sufficient site knowledge or other factors, but it highlights the need for careful consideration when decisions are made in areas of significant historical importance.

We started our photographic survey at the exit where the original ladder still stands. We didn’t climb it, of course. Instead, we carefully photographed it from bottom to top, capturing every detail, before later making our way to this exit from the outside to complete the record.

Entrance A was reinforced with concrete and has a small side chamber just behind the entrance, where a vertical steel pipe passes through the roof to the outside. The exact purpose of this relatively wide pipe is uncertain, but it may have served as a smoke vent for a field kitchen that was located beneath it.

Entrance B was also reinforced with reinforced concrete. In this photo, it can be clearly seen situated within the rear Lang-Graben. The entrance was heavily damaged by sustained bombardment from American artillery in 1918.

Entrance C is also reinforced with reinforced concrete and is connected to Entrance B. In the space between them, traces of the wooden beams that once supported the sandstone tunnel are still visible, although after more than a century most of these beams have collapsed or rotted away. During the war, this area served as the living quarters for the German soldiers who sheltered and slept here.

Below are photos taken in the soldiers’ living quarters located between all the entrances, including the section leading further inland. At the rear, the stairway to the concrete-reinforced portal is also shown in this part.

The tunnel has been bricked up in multiple places, likely by the Germans themselves at a critical moment when the Americans were advancing so close that the frontline was in danger of being overrun. To prevent the Americans from using the tunnel against them, the Germans sealed it at several points. Over the past hundred years, some of these walls have been partially broken open by earlier explorers.

In 2025, my comrade Johan received a new knee prosthesis and was unable to climb over these walls. I was the only one able to do so, while Johan stood guard on the other side. Naturally, it is not advisable to explore tunnels like this alone due to various hazards such as lack of oxygen, risk of collapse, or unexploded ordnance, so I remained very cautious.

The section that continued further inland was blocked by another bricked-up passage with a partially collapsed area. I recall that the tunnel extended deeper, but since I was quite far from Johan, I turned back for safety. I had planned to explore this part further once Johan had fully recovered. I regret not crawling further last year, such a shame! If only I had known everything in advance -.-

The connecting passage between the living quarters in the rear Lang-Graben and the exits in the frontline trench Giesecke-Graben. In this way, the troops could remain relatively safe in the rear, and when combat was required, German soldiers would rush forward through the underground tunnels to the frontline trench.

Entrance D, located in the frontline trench Giesecke-Graben, is unfortunately still completely sealed by a masonry wall, built by the Germans themselves in 1918 for the reasons mentioned above. From the inside, I was able to photograph this wall, but from the outside, little remains due to the heavy bombardments of 1918, apart from the trace of the trench leading toward a collapsed rock face.

Inside, several niches are still visible in the walls. The largest of these likely served as the position for a field telephone. Along the passage, I encountered multiple insulators from the telephone wires that once ran underground toward the rear areas. There is also a remaining fragment of a small coal stove in this chamber.

We can consider ourselves fortunate to have been able to explore this remarkable structure over the past year. It is deeply regrettable to learn that it has been excavated and removed as part of land development.