Kostrzyn Fortress

On the Oder, right on the German border, lies a town that no longer exists: Kostrzyn's old town, destroyed in 1945 and never rebuilt, enclosed by the walls of a 16th-century bastion fortress. The surviving street grid, cobbles and house foundations have earned it the name "Pompeii on the Oder" (Kostrzyńskie Pompeje). The Kostrzyn Fortress Museum looks after this one-of-a-kind monument – the ruins together with the bastions, gates and the promenade along the ramparts.

History: from margrave's residence to ruin

In 1535 Margrave John of Brandenburg-Küstrin made Kostrzyn his residence and capital of the Neumark. A castle came first, then earth ramparts, which the Oder floods kept undermining, so in 1553–1568 they were faced with brick. The fortress, with five bastions including the King, Queen and Philip, was designed on the Italian model; Francesco Chiaramella and Rochus zu Lynar were among its builders. In the 17th century the Swedes and the Elector of Brandenburg added a bridgehead, ravelins and the Brandenburg bastion – Küstrin was then one of the strongest fortresses in Germany.

In 1758 Russian troops bombarded the town; its wooden houses burned to the ground, but the fortress held. In the 1880s a ring of four forts (Czarnów, Gorgast, Sarbinowo, Żabice) was built around the town. In 1945 the Third Reich defended Küstrin as the gateway to Berlin. The town fell on 12 March 1945, and about 90% of its buildings were destroyed.

What to see

• Bastion Philip – its casemates hold a permanent exhibition on the history of the town and fortress, with multimedia that let you see the pre-war town and compare it with today.
• The Berlin Gate, with a tourist information point, and the Chyżańska Gate (formerly the Kietz Gate).
• The old town ruins – cobbled streets, cellars and foundations, the ruins of the church and of the castle (blown up to cellar level in 1969).
• The promenade along the ramparts with views over the Oder valley, the King and Brandenburg bastions and a ravelin.

Did you know?

In 1730–1732 the castle held the Prussian crown prince, the future Frederick the Great, after his failed attempt to flee. On 6 November 1730 he was made to watch as his friend Lieutenant Hans Hermann von Katte was beheaded on his father's orders – hence the name of the Katte promenade. Part of the fortifications, including Fort Gorgast, now lies on the German side of the Oder.

Tripto tips

• The old town is open every day; in autumn 2026 the Berlin Gate and Bastion Philip were open Saturdays and Sundays 10:00–16:00 (last entry 15:00) until 18 October. After that Bastion Philip takes organised groups only. Check current hours on the museum's website only – the museum itself warns that information on other sites may be out of date.
• Museum office: ul. Graniczna 1, phone +48 95 752 23 60.
• Allow 1.5–2 hours to walk the ruins and ramparts.
• Afterwards, consider a trip to the nearby Warta Mouth National Park.