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Fort Srebrna Góra or Srebrnogórska Fortress (Polish: Twierdza Srebrna Góra, lit. Silver Mountain Fort) is a former military fort, now a monument and a museum, located in the village of Srebrna Góra (lit. Silver Mountain), Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It was constructed in 1765–1777 when the territory was part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
| Fort Srebrna Góra | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the fort | |
  Location within Poland | |
| General information | |
| Type | fortification |
| Town or city | Srebrna Góra, Lower Silesian Voivodeship |
| Country | Poland |
| Coordinates | 50°34′30″N 16°38′34″E |
| Construction started | 1765 |
| Completed | 1777 |
| Designated | 2004-04-14 |
| Reference no. | Dz. U. z 2004 r. Nr 102, poz. 1058[1] |
The fort is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (Pomnik historii), as designated May 1, 2004. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland.[2] It has been declared a rare example of a surviving European 18th century mountain stronghold.[2]
The fort has been called a "Gibraltar of Prussia", or "Gibraltar of Silesia", a reference to its foundation in solid bedrock.[2][3]
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The fortress in Srebrna Góra was built in 1764–1777 by the order of Frederick II, the King of Prussia. It was designed by Prussian architect Ludwig Wilhelm Regeler, aided by a number of Prussian military engineers.[2] Minor additional works took place in the following years, but no major alterations were made; construction of a nearby flanked fort was begun but was quickly abandoned.[2] The complex is composed of six forts, several bastions, and associated elements.[4] The main fort of the complex is the central Donżon Fort on the Warowna Góra hill.[4]
The complex is located on the heights of the Sudety Mountains, a body which forms a natural border between the Kłodzko Valley and the Silesian Lowlands.[2] It controls the passage through the Silver Valley (Polish: Przełęcz Srebrna, German: Pass von Silberberg). The fort spans three hills: Ostróg (627 meters above sea level, German: Spitzberg), Warowna Góra (686m, German: Silberbergpass), and Wielki Chochoł (740m, German: Grosse Strohhaube).[2] The fort could shelter a garrison of 4000 soldiers, supplied to survive a year-long siege.[2] It was defended by 264 artillery pieces.[2] The fortress was intended to guard a route linking Prussian territories with Bohemian lands in the south, and thus help repel any possible incursions from Austria.[2][3] The cost of the construction was reported as 4.5 million Prussian thalers.[3]
The fortress was never captured by the enemy while besieged. On 28 June 1807 it successfully resisted a siege by Napoleonic forces during the War of the Fourth Coalition; this was the only time the fortress was the site of an active battle.[2][5] By 1860 it was declared obsolete and the garrison reduced in size; it was abandoned as an active military stronghold in 1867.[2][5] The fortress has survived till modern day with relatively little modernization or damage, contributing to its valuable status as a historical monument of its era.[2] It served as a military training grounds, and by the end of the 19th century was already a tourist attraction, with a restaurant opened in the fort by 1885.[2] A youth hostel opened there in 1913, a museum in 1931,[5] and by the 1930s it was visited by 50,000 tourists each year.[2]
During World War II the fortress served as a prisoner-of-war camp (Oflag VII-B 1939-1941, Stalag 367 1941–1945). It was used as a prison for Polish officers imprisoned by the Germans. Notable prisoners included Counter Admiral Stefan Frankowski, General Tadeusz Piskor and Rear-Admiral Józef Unrug. The Poles tried to escape several times, and in the best-known attempt 10 Poles escaped from the camp in May 1940.[6] Seven escapees were soon captured by the Germans, while three made their way through German-occupied Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey to Mandatory Palestine,[6] where they joined the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade. After the war, the fortress was parts of the lands transferred from Germany to Poland.[2] In 1961 it was added to the Polish register of objects of cultural heritage.[2] In 1973 a military museum was opened in the Fort.[5] In 2002 it was declared a culture park, and in 2004 it was recognized as a Historic Monument (Pomnik historii).[2]
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The fort is open to tourists.[7]
A historical reenactment group in the region continues the tradition of the Prussian infantry unit station in the fort.[2]
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