Traces of the former railway line

The project to build the Gołdap-Żytkiejmy-Gumbin (Gusiew) railway line was ready at the beginning of the 20th century. This railway was to fulfill strategic and military functions (it ran near the border with Poland), as well as transport and tourist functions. Its construction began in 1907. Even before the outbreak of World War I (1912), the northern bridge was finished and the tracks were laid. The work was interrupted by the war, but they were resumed in 1923.
In 1926, the southern bridge and 13 smaller bridges and viaducts were completed. The southern bridge served as an observation deck, and at the same time a backup in the event of a northern bombing. In 1927, the railway was launched. Trains on the northern track ran until 1945.The bridges are erected over the Błędzianka river, connecting two shores of its ice-marginal valley. They resemble Roman aqueducts. The slender pillars are connected by the classic span arches. In the construction of the pillars, the technique of melting wood logs into the cement was used. The spans, on the other hand, are made of reinforced concrete, as are the openwork barriers. The bridges are 180 m long. After World War II, the Russians dismantled the tracks and took them to the USSR. Fortunately, the bridges were spared.
suwalszczyzna.com.pl/info/miejsca/stanczyki