Once celebrated as one of Europe’s mightiest mountain bastions, the Srebrna Góra Fortress in southern Poland has unveiled a new tourist route following the largest renovation ever conducted in its history.
Originally built between 1765 and 1777, the design of the fortress was largely attributed to the Prussian engineer Ludwik Wilhelm Regler. Later modified under the reign of King Frederick the Great, it was created to serve as a defensive bulwark that would safeguard Silesia from foreign invasion.
Having switched into Prussian hands just decades previously in 1740, the construction of the fortress was seen as integral to the security of the region. As such, four to four-and-a-half thousand workers were hired for the project, and it would take them twelve years of labor before it was completed.
Largely funded by taxes levied on the local population, what emerged was a sprawling complex the like of which Europe had not seen before. Comprising 151 casemates set across three stories, its features included vast storerooms, an armory, wells up to 80-meters deep, a chapel, a prison, a hospital, a bakery, workshops and a gunpowder warehouse. To all intents and purposes, what had been created was a self-contained world.
Capable of housing 3,756 soldiers, these troops had enough supplies to withstand a one-year siege. Spanning three hills, and defended by 264 artillery pieces, to the outside eye it would have appeared impregnable.
In many ways it was. Only once were its defenses truly tested, and they passed with flying colors.
In 1807, Hieronymus Bonaparte – brother of Napoleon – brought his forces to the region but the fortress, and the garrison within, held firm. Only when the Treaties of Tilsit were signed did the fortress surrender.
As technology advanced, Srebrna Góra’s relevance was reduced and in 1867 its garrison was dissolved.
From thereon, it served various functions; as the Industrial Revolution gained speed, its storage spaces were handed a second life. A pocket watch factory was established, as were spinning mills, a tannery and a metalware workshop.
By the 20th century, the first tourists were already visiting, and their presence was further boosted in 1909 by the development of a railway linking Srebrna Góra with Nowa Wieś Kłodzka. During the inter-war years, visitor numbers swelled to 50,000 per year, the spike explained by additions such as an arms museum, a 300-seater restaurant, viewing platform and youth hostel.
However, with the complex retaining much of its architectural integrity and lingering air of invincibility, its value was not lost on the Nazis. From 1939, a prisoner-of-war camp was located here, its inmates largely hailing from Poland’s officer class.
In the immediate aftermath of the war, the object fell into disrepair, something only gradually reversed by the first tentative cleanup actions conducted in the 60s. Slowly, what was once regarded as one of the largest mountain fortresses in Europe regained its luster.
It is the latest work, however, that impresses the most. Benefiting from a 26 million złoty renovation that lasted three years, formerly inaccessible trails have been cleared of debris. Also debuting are replicas of the machines once used to build the fortress.
“We want to show how the fortress functioned in the 18th century,” says Emilia Pawnuk, the head of the fortress.
This has meant the addition of geese and goats, as well as workshops allowing visitors to work with clay, stone and wood. Most saliently, it has also meant the reconstruction of a 12.5 meter-long drawbridge.
Made from larchwood, and positioned 29 meters over a moat, it is this that stands to become one of Srebrna Góra’s principal attractions.
Having switched into Prussian hands just decades previously in 1740, the construction of the fortress was seen as integral to the security of the region. As such, four to four-and-a-half thousand workers were hired for the project, and it would take them twelve years of labor before it was completed.
Largely funded by taxes levied on the local population, what emerged was a sprawling complex the like of which Europe had not seen before. Comprising 151 casemates set across three stories, its features included vast storerooms, an armory, wells up to 80-meters deep, a chapel, a prison, a hospital, a bakery, workshops and a gunpowder warehouse. To all intents and purposes, what had been created was a self-contained world.
Capable of housing 3,756 soldiers, these troops had enough supplies to withstand a one-year siege. Spanning three hills, and defended by 264 artillery pieces, to the outside eye it would have appeared impregnable.
In many ways it was. Only once were its defenses truly tested, and they passed with flying colors.
In 1807, Hieronymus Bonaparte – brother of Napoleon – brought his forces to the region but the fortress, and the garrison within, held firm. Only when the Treaties of Tilsit were signed did the fortress surrender.
As technology advanced, Srebrna Góra’s relevance was reduced and in 1867 its garrison was dissolved.
From thereon, it served various functions; as the Industrial Revolution gained speed, its storage spaces were handed a second life. A pocket watch factory was established, as were spinning mills, a tannery and a metalware workshop.
By the 20th century, the first tourists were already visiting, and their presence was further boosted in 1909 by the development of a railway linking Srebrna Góra with Nowa Wieś Kłodzka. During the inter-war years, visitor numbers swelled to 50,000 per year, the spike explained by additions such as an arms museum, a 300-seater restaurant, viewing platform and youth hostel.
However, with the complex retaining much of its architectural integrity and lingering air of invincibility, its value was not lost on the Nazis. From 1939, a prisoner-of-war camp was located here, its inmates largely hailing from Poland’s officer class.
In the immediate aftermath of the war, the object fell into disrepair, something only gradually reversed by the first tentative cleanup actions conducted in the 60s. Slowly, what was once regarded as one of the largest mountain fortresses in Europe regained its luster.
It is the latest work, however, that impresses the most. Benefiting from a 26 million złoty renovation that lasted three years, formerly inaccessible trails have been cleared of debris. Also debuting are replicas of the machines once used to build the fortress.
“We want to show how the fortress functioned in the 18th century,” says Emilia Pawnuk, the head of the fortress.
This has meant the addition of geese and goats, as well as workshops allowing visitors to work with clay, stone and wood. Most saliently, it has also meant the reconstruction of a 12.5 meter-long drawbridge.
Made from larchwood, and positioned 29 meters over a moat, it is this that stands to become one of Srebrna Góra’s principal attractions.
Source: Radio Wroclaw / forty.pl
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