There are many places, buildings and structures in Poland that, despite their inconspicuous appearance (they are often neglected), hide a fascinating history. Sometimes they deteriorate, and with them a part of our culture disappears. To save them, regular actions are taken to include them in the register of monuments. Although this form of protection is not perfect, in addition to being taken care of by the conservator, it serves another, no less important function – educational. Thanks to the information we publish, we can learn about the existence of objects that we would otherwise not pay attention to.
This is what happened with the parachute tower for pilot training in Dęblin in the province. Lublin Province. It can be considered as a previously forgotten object, as evidenced by the entry in Wikipedia (“Parachute Tower”). It was included in the list of numerous, no longer existing structures (as of October 11, 2024).
The Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments announced that the truss structure of the parachute tower was entered into the register of monuments. It is located in a closed area belonging to the Military Aviation Academy – heirs of the tradition of the Officers’ Aviation School established in the interwar period, commonly called the “Eagley School”.
The structure is supported by four support points It was built on a square plan with sides 4 m. The height is 26 m. At the north-eastern point, in the concrete base, there is an inscription “1949”, which indicates the date of its construction. It was therefore one of the structures that were to continue the pre-war tradition.
The tower in Dęblin served its function from the 1950s to the mid-1980s. It was originally equipped with an electric parachute line winch. When training using it was suspended in 1987 for technical reasons, the mechanism was dismantled. According to traditional disciplines of technical sciences – a parachute tower is a technical monument constituting the heritage of aviation engineering.
The initiative to build this type of structure was taken in 1935 by the paramilitary organization “Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Gas Protection League” as part of the “Youth for parachutes” campaign. Thanks to the action, structures allowing parachuting to be popularized in several Polish cities were built.
Structures made before World War II had a boom that was used for the initial training of parachute jumpers, including pilots and flying navigators. An interesting fact for the inhabitants of Lublin is that one of such towers in the voivodeship was located near today’s ul. Paratroopers.
Most of the towers were built between 1936 and 1939 and were destroyed during the war. The structure in Dęblin is one of 6 towers built after the war. Its location on the territory of a military unit saved it from dismantling. Moreover, it is not damaged and the missing elements are easy to recreate. The second preserved parachute tower in Poland is located in Katowice. Originally, the Silesian structure was 50 m high, but it was demolished by the Nazi authorities of Katowice. The structure, rebuilt in the 1950s, is lower, 35 m high. Currently, it is a monument dedicated to the Silesian scouts who defended Katowice in 1939. Its appearance may be an inspiration to renovate the Lublin structure, which could look equally impressive. The remaining Polish structures were dismantled after their period of operation because they were located in public space.
Source: geekweek.interia.pl
