It is also one of the few living museums in Europe where tourists can feel the taste of military service on their own skin. It is one of the best-preserved 19th century Prussian coastal forts in Europe and since 2010 it has been the seat of the Coastal Defense Museum in Świnoujście. It is also known as the Eastern Fort, is one of the forts of the Świnoujście Fortress. Boyen stronghold is really worth visiting during Mazury trip.

The stronghold also offers other entertainment such as historic reconstructions, motorcycle rallies and concerts in the amphitheater situated also in the fortress. At fortress area there is also a youth hostel. Apart from admiring stronghold buildings and architecture there are a few exhibitions in a barracks gallery, gun powder laboratory, stable and coach house. The stronghold is opened for tourists all year long with a guide but from September till March the visit has to be arranged in advance. It was used for military purposes both during first and second world wars. It was designed for 3 000 Prussian soldiers and its area is 100 hectares. The star shape stronghold was erected between 18 and was designed to protect the pass between 2 great lakes Kisajno (southern part of Mamry lake complex) and Niegocin. Srebrna Góra fortifications is one of the major Lower Silesia attractions which you shouldn’t omit in your Polish travels.īoyen stronghold is situated in Giżycko, only 35 km from well-known Mazury resort Mikołajki, 42 km from Mrągowo and 103 km from Olsztyn (about 1h 35 min drive). The stronghold is also opened to business groups with its conference rooms and group packages for congresses and integration meetings. Visitors can also often encounter history reconstruction groups which present epic shows about Napoleonic times. Nowadays, the fortifications can be visited by tourists all year long both during a day and at night. This size made it one of the biggest European mountain strongholds. It is a very spacious construction with 151 rooms which could host 3.7 thousand soldiers. Srebrna Góra fortress is a complex of forts and bastions overlooking a town. It is a unique object in European scale which was built in 1756-1777 and at the time it was one of the most modern fortifications in Europe. Srebrna Góra stronghold is situated 26 km from Kłodzko and 82 km from Wrocław (about 1.5 h drive). From the higher parts visitors can admire the beautiful panorama of the city and the surrounding mountains, inside - see well-preserved traces of military culture and exhibitions devoted to the history of this place, and in underground labyrinths - feel the atmosphere of old soldier's life.

The Main Fortress is located on Góra Forteczna (369 m above sea level) in the city center on an area of over 30 hectares. Kłodzko Fortress is one of the most important and impressive monuments of Lower Silesia. The best well known strongholds in Poland include: In the interwar period and during the last war, large fortified areas were established (among others Międzyrzecki Fortified Region and Wał Pomorski). During that period the following strongholds has been built: Prussian (Goniądz, Toruń, Poznań), Russian (Warszawa, Osowiec) and Austrian (Kraków, Przemyśl). The partitions were conducted by the Habsburg Monarchy, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Russian Empire, which divided up Polish lands among themselves progressively in the process of three territorial seizures and annexations. The main Polish strongholds were erected in times when Poland lost its independence for 123 years (1795-1918) by the three partition armies. They are often opened for tourists both on the surface but also underground. Nowadays, the most interesting strongholds are museums or gastronomical and tourist centres that offer organization of various group events. They attract adventure seekers, history lovers, reconstruction groups and tourists that want to admire reconstruction spectacles. Poland due to its turbulent past has many strongholds erected by various nations that are real tourist attractions, unique and one of the kind. They were displaced by fortifications and strongholds of various types. After the 16th century castles were no longer suit for defence purposes.

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