Ruin of the former hydrogenation works
The factory was established a year before the outbreak of World War 2. It produced synthetic gasoline for the German military, which was obtained from coal. Free guided tours are offered on site.
The Pölitz hydrogenation plant was established in 1938, where a gasoline was synthetically hydrogenated from coal for the Wehrmacht. In 1944, the plant covered an area of 1500 hectares, of which about 200 hectares were built on. Various buildings in different condition have been preserved from this development until today. Dominant is the former coal hoist, which was reserved for the semi-finished products. The steel skeleton of the fuel burner is also visible. Air raid shelters and splinter shelters, with their egg-shaped form they protected a person, as well as Westermänner with typical concrete tip have also been preserved. Like everything else, there are also silos, i.e. gasoline tanks in the area densely overgrown with bushes and shrubs. Access is difficult and dangerous, there is uncleared debris everywhere and metal parts sticking out of the ground, so an unguided tour of the site is not recommended. However, every Saturday at 13:00 starts a free guided tour, where you can visit the factory, as well as parts of the underground facilities and, of course, the museum, the headquarters of the association.