EPTEX-24
With Jonna, Steen, Barry and Jesper, I was able to join an IBRG-expedition to the Eastern Poland tripoint (EPTEX-24). Main target: the tripoint of Belarus, Poland and Ukraïne (BYPLUA)
On this page, I display the whole expedition, in order of experience.
On the right side there's an overview with direct links.
Буг
The river Bug (Буг) is central in what we did among the border.
The Bug is a river in Central Europe that flows through Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. She has a total length of 774 kilometres.
The Bug forms part of the border between Belarus and Poland for 178 kilometres and part of the border between Ukraine and Poland for 185 kilometres.
BY PL UA
Tuesday 30 july 2024
I fly to Warsaw where I met Barry who is already downtown.
On the old town's square, near the 'mermaid' we meet again and together we wait for Jesper.
The 3 of us have dinner in Warschau.
Thursday 1 august 2024
From the hotel 'Villa Nova' we leave first to the WO II monument of
Sobibór.
A nazi-extermination-camp, you never would get out alive.
From there we visit Sławatycze with BM 060 and 2 churches in the centre of the village.
We have a quick view on the closed border on HW 63. Strange to see there's no sign 'Closed'. But because there's no que of kilometres we know it is closed.
8 min. from there we stop at the Monastery of St. Onofrio in Sławatycze as well. Almost on the border where we spotted BM 076 (Pl and BY) and Kaplica Świętego Ducha.
We moved on and had a perfect lunch @ Galeria Smaków in Terespol.
From there we tried to have a look over the river Bug to the
Svyato-Rozhdestvo-Bogoroditskiy Zhenskiy Monastyr' in Belarus.
We park the car near a almost pene-enclave on which
[STOP], here you're not allowed to walk the walking paths, as shown on maps.me.
No sign, nothing that informs us that it is not allowed! But we walked to the borderbridge, were stopped for about 0:45 hrs, we're only allowed to return and not allowed to walk among the river Bug (?).
From the bordercrossing Terespol - Brest we took pictures of another borderrailwaybridge,
drove to Podlasie Switzerland Reserve, were an old tank was at the entrance and were we discovered BM 165.
From here we drove to our dark brown interieured hotel in the small village 'Borsuki' , where the owner specially for us opened the restaurant and prepared us a more than decent diner.
#sleep well all!
Wednesday 31 july 2024
Jesper joins Barry and me at our hotel were we are picked up by Steen and Jonna.
Together we first will visit Naziconcentrationcamp 'Majdanku' in Lublin.
From here we drive to the Easternmost point of Poland.
We try to walk to Ukraïne over the bridge at the bordercrossing Zosin - Ustyluh and figure out that it ain't possible anymore.
We drive to further the old stronghold and afterwards to the railwayborderbridge.
We go on for the tripoint BYPLUA, have lots of experience with the Bug Border Patrol Guard and arrive after eight at our hotel in Szuminka.
Barry find us a more than decent restaurant and after dinner we return to the hotel, tired and satisfied.
Friday 2 august 2024
From hotel 'Oberza' in Borsuki, we first drive to where the border leaves the river 'Bug' and turns into land.
Here is the wet Western-mostpoint of Belarus at BM 244k.
We go on from here, take the 'ferry' from Zabuże to Mielnik and our first stop after the 'ferry' is at the
Church of the Icon of Our Lady of All Who Sorrow, Joy (Cerkiew pw. Ikony Matki Bożej Wszystkich Strapionych Radość), a very nice blue church, almost on the border with Belarus.
Besides pictures of the church, of course we make pictures of the former bordercrossing, Koterka - Tokari on a forestroad and mainroad.
From here we visit the former bordercrossing Tokary - Tokari, have a look at the Synagogue in Mieljeczce and have lunch @ Kukuryykuu in Nurzec-Stacja, were we also made pictures of an old watertower at the railway.
Expedition overview
Tripoint
∆ Wlodawa (BYPLUA)
Easternmost point (Poland)
∆ Zosin (BM 903)
Westernmost point (Belarus)
∆ Vysokaye (BM 244k)
Border crossings
PL - UA
∆ Dorohus - Jagodzin (BM 988)
PL - BY
Bordermarkers
∆ BM 001 Wlodawa
∆ BM 060 Sławatycze
∆ BM 076 Sławatycze
∆ BM 165 Terespol
∆ BM 244k Vysokaye
∆ BM 903 Zosin
∆ BM 987 Railwayborderbridge
∆ BM 988 Railwayborderbridge
Specials
∆ The old stronghold
'Waly Jagiellońskie' (BM 914)
∆ Monastery of St. Onofrio Sławatycze
∆ Kaplica Świętego Ducha Sławatycze
∆ Ferry Zabuże-Mielnik
Memorials
∆ Nazicamp 'Majdanek'' Lublin
∆ Nazi-extermination
camp Sobibór Sobibór
Meeting @ hotel/
start expedition
Day 1
31 july 2024
As written above, first we met @ the hotel.
Nazicamp-Majdanek-Lublin
31 july 2024
Although it first was intended for forced labor rather than extermination, it was used to murder people on an industrial scale during Operation Reinhard, the German plan to murder all Polish Jews within their own occupied homeland.
In operation from 1 October 1941 to 22 July 1944, it was captured nearly intact. The rapid advance of the Soviet Red Army during Operation Bagration prevented the SS from destroying most of its infrastructure, and Deputy Camp Commandant Anton Thernes failed to remove the most incriminating evidence of war crimes.
© source: wikipedia
Designed by Albin Maria Boniecki.
It was erected by Polish political prisoners on the camp autorities order in the spring of 1943.
Germans conceived it as a decoration of field III.
It was the first monument to the victims of Majdanek as some ashes from the camp cramatorium were secretlyplaced inside the base.
Easternmostpoint
Zosin-BM-903
31 july 2024
After Majdanek we visited the Easternmostpoint of Poland at Zosin.
Here we got our first check by the Police borderguard.
Bordercrossing
Zosin (PL)-Ustyluh (UA)
31 july 2024
After visiting the Eastermostpoint we wanted to cross the border to Uakraïne. The bordercrossing should be possible by foot, as we were informerd.
Unfortunately we met a policewomen who said the magic words: 'No!"
We figured out that it ain't possible anymore to cross by foot.
∆ Grodzisko 'Wały Jagiellońskie'
(the stronghold of 'Waly Jagiellońskie')
Horodlo
∆ Railwayborderbridge
Dorohusk - Jagodzin
31 july 2024
After visiting the bordercrossing
Zosin-Ustyluh, we are heading up for the railwaybridge.
First we make a stop the stronghold of 'Waly Jagiellónskie', where we find BM 914.
After this we drove to the railwaybridge. Here we first find both (Polish and Ukraïn) BM 987.
At the bridge we met borderpatrol again. We are forbidden to make pictures of both bordermarkers. Why? We don't know.
This policewomen said the magic words: 'No', as well!
Grodzisko 'Wały Jagiellońskie'
(The stronghold 'Wały Jagiellońskie')
Railwayborderbridge
Dorohusk - Jagodzin
We parked the car @ 10. mins. walking from the railway-borderbridge.
Here we are stopped by borderguards again. They let us know that we are in prohibitted area and say they fine us if
we make any pictures of the Polish and Ukraïne BM's.
Do they have jurisdiction over the Ukraïne BM's?
Tripoint
Belarus-Poland-Ukraïne
Wlodawa (BYPLUA)
31 july 2024
From the bridge we drive appr. > 50 km. to the tripoint. We arrive here around 18:15 hrs, the light is very nice for pictures.
The parkingplace
After returning @ the car, again we were stopped by borderguards. Their (passport) check costed
us more than a hour.
There's a lot of inconsistencies in
what us is told by individual borderguards.
The tripoint
At about 20:00 hrs. we were released from the Bug River Border Guard and could we go to our hotel 'Villa Nova' in Zuminka.
Diner we had at 'Atmosfera caffe' at Wlodawa.
BothI I highly (+) recommend.
The hotel The restaurant The 'clan'
No go borderzone
According to intellinews, Poland will limit the movement of non-residents along a section of its border with Belarus.
The goal is to limit the presence of unauthorised persons.
The picture visualises how a no go borderzone can look like.
Day two starts with a stork
near the hotel. After a good
breakfast, we leave for the
Sobibór monument.
Pictures without any comment.
Expedition Day 2
Sobibór
1 august 2024
Sławatycze BM 060
Churches
Bordercrossing
Sławatycze - Дамачава
1 august 2024
From Sobibór, that gave us all a rather deep impact > there was silency in the car <, we drove to Sławatycze.
Besides the marvelous churches there's a touristic spot at the river Bug where we discouver BM 060.
We also 'visited' the closed border with BY at HW 63 (Sławatycze -
Дамачава).
BM 060
Churches
Bordercrossing
Sławatycze - Дамачава
Sławatycze BM 076
Monastry St. Onofrio
Kaplica Świętego Ducha
1 august 2024
After the bordercrossing we drive about 10 min. and parked the car at the 'Monastry of St. Onofrio'.
After we looked around, we walked to the river 'Bug' where we see both bordermarkers 076 (BY and PL).
On the BY-side we even see a statue we don't know what it is about. On the Polish borderside there's a lot of barned wire.
Here also is the 'Kaplica Świętego Ducha', a small chapel, almost on the border.
Monastry of St. Onofrio
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Bordermarker 076
Kaplica Świętego Ducha
Lunchtime at Galeria Smaków in Terespol.
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After a too big lunch, we went to two bordercrossingpoints:
Terespol - Brest
Terespol - Pillbox
We parked the car at 10 mins. walking from the borderbridge, were directly two borderguards came down, called a quick respons team and supplied us with a check and many questions. Everybody even had to tell the names of our parents.
Again we past the test, but weren't allowed to walk among the 'Bug' back to the car.
For the second one we stopped on the road and took some pictures from there, while we directly spotted a borderguardcabin, left of the bridge.
It was nice to see the Ukraïne train passing us.
Bordercrossing
Terespol (PL) - Brest (BY) road
Terespol (PL) - Pillbox (BY) train
1 august 2024
Terespol (PL) - Brest (BY)
Terespol (PL) - Pillbox (BY)
Bordermarker 165
Rezerwat Szwajcaria Podlaska
From Terespol we drive to Podlasie Switzerland Reserve (Rezerwat Szwajcaria Podlaska) for a short walk. Here we spot BM 165. The reserve is worth a much longer visit.
Expedition day 2
Westernmostpoint
Vysokaye (BY) BM-244k
2 August 2024
After breakfast we leave our hotel ' 'Oberza' in Borsuki, and we drive to the Westernmostpoint of Belarus.
This is a so called wet extremepoint. It's rather odd to see the Iron fence and lots of barned wire, the Polish placed to protect their own country, the NATO border and the European Union border.
Most likely is that the fence is placed to stop immigrants crossing the border.
'Ferry'
Zabuże-Mielnik
2 August 2024
From the Belarus Westernmostpoint, we went on to the 'ferry' Zabuże-Mielnik.
A small 'ferry' for only 2 cars, some bikes and some ppl, manual powered.
Cerkiew pw. Ikony Matki Bożej Wszystkich Strapionych Radość
Church of the Icon of Our Lady of All Who Sorrow, Joy
After the 'ferry' our first stop is at Church of the Icon of Our Lady of All Who Sorrow, Joy.
This is a very nice blue chrurch, almost on the border of Poland and Belarus.
The church
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The (former) border crossing
Koterka (PL) - Tokari (BY)
The (former) border crossing
Tokary (PL) - Tokari (BY)
(last borderactivity of the EPTEX_24)
Mieljeczce Synagogue
In Milejczyce we stop to make some pictures of the Mieljeczce Synagogue
Nurzec-Stacja
From Milejczyce we we drove on to Nurzec-Stacja where we had lunch @ 'Kukuryyruu'.
From here we went back to Warsaw where we 'dropped' Jesper @ the airport and where Barry and I were 'dropped' @ our hotel.
Steen and Jonna than had to drive about another 2,5 hours to Poznan.
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Vraag s.v.p. vooraf om toestemming als je foto's gebruiken wilt.©
