The most interesting fortresses and fortifications in Poland

Poland is a country with many interesting attractions. Whether you like admiring nature or exploring historical monuments, this country has something for everyone. One of the most fascinating types of attractions are the countless fortresses and fortifications. In the past, these constructions protected the local areas and were the silent witnesses of the most crucial events in the history of our country. In this article you will be able to read about some of the most interesting fortresses and fortifications in Poland.

The Srebrna Gora fortress

The Srebrna Gora fortress was constructed in the 18th century based on the project by Prussian engineer Ludwik Wilhelm Regler. It was supposed to protect the region of Silesia, which was conquered by Prussia in 1740.

Between 1830 and 1848, the fortress was used as a prison for activisits of the so-called „Young Germans” movement. In the second half of the 19th century, the Prussian government began to notice the benefits of tourism and ordered to stop destroying the fortress and transform it into a tourist attraction.

The Klodzko fortress

The Klodzko fortress is a well-preserved fortification, which used to be a defensive system from the 17th and 18th centuries. The first historical mention of the defensive construction at the castle hill in Klodzko originated from a report of a Czech chronicler named Kosmas from 981 A.D.

In the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the building was reconstructed into a stronghold castle, most likely by nprince Henryk IV Probus. Between 1557 and 1560, architect Ernest Lorenz Kirschke expanded the fortress and added the middle castle and the lower castle.

The Modlin fortress

The Modlin fortress is a complex of strengthenings located in Mazowsze, approximately 30 kilometers to the north-west from Warsaw. The confluence of the communication trails running along the Vistulam Narew and Bug rivers was already strengthened in the beginning of the middle ages.

The first more modern fortifications nearby Modlin were constructed during the Swedish deluge – in 1655, the Swedish army constructed a fortified camp in this area. Currentlym there isnothing left from those strengthenings.

The Przemysl fortress

The Przemysl fortress is a complex of defensive objects located in south-east Poland, in the podkarpackie region.

In 1772, after the first partition of Poland, Galicia went under the reign of the Austrian Empire. The Military Council apppointed the State Fortification Commission, which chose a group of officers for finding the best place for comstructing the fortress. They considered such villages, as Stryj. Lviv and Andrychow. They ultimately chose Przemysl, although not many people believed that it could define the future fate of the Empire. However, the major of the general staff believed that Przemysl was the perfect place to protect the Hungarian trails.

The Riese complex

The Riese complex was an important project of Nazi Germany, which was created in the Sowie Mountains between 1943 and 1945. It was supposed to be one of the main headquarters of Adolf Hitler.

Because of the increasing allied bombing raids, the Germans moved a major part of their buildings to the region of Sudety. There were plans of adapting the Ksiaz castle and constructing enormous tunnels and underground rooms in several parts of the Sowie Mountains. The works were only partially finished. Before the entrance of the Red Army, many of the underground construction were destroyed, and the tunnels were blown up.

The Boyen fortress

The Boyen fortress was an important strategic object, located in the western part of Gizycko. Its history began in the first half of the 19th century. The first plans of creating the fortress originated from 1818. But the ultimate decision of constructing the fortifications was only made on August 9th 1841. The design was created by Johann Leopold Ludwig Brese, who previously designed the Winiary Fortress. The construction works were finished in 1846.

On December 24th 1846, king Fryderyk Wilhelm officially named the construction „Feste Boyen”