Fort Srebrna Góra

On two summits of the Owl Mountains above the Silver Pass stands the largest mountain fortress in Poland and the best-preserved fortification of its kind in the country. Prussia built it between 1765 and 1777 on the orders of Frederick II to defend the newly won Silesia. Construction devoured 1,668,000 thalers, partly financed by a special levy locals called the "Srebrna Góra toll".

Europe's largest donjon

The heart of the fortress is its donjon — the largest structure of its kind on the continent: four towers, 60 m in diameter, with walls 12 m thick. Inside are 151 casemates on three levels: a bakery, a brewery, a hospital, a chapel and a prison. Nine wells supplied water, the deepest reaching 84 m. The garrison numbered 2,500–3,500 men with 264 guns, and the stores were meant to last three to five months of siege.

Besieged only once

The fortress never fell. Its only siege — the assault by Bavarian and Württemberg troops on 28 June 1807 — was ended by the Peace of Tilsit. Later the forts served as a political prison (the writer Fritz Reuter was held here, among others), and between 1939 and 1941 they housed Oflag VIII B, a camp for Polish officers, among them Rear Admiral Józef Unrug. On the night of 5–6 May 1940 nine of them escaped; three made it as far as Syria.

Visiting

The route leads through casemates, bastions and the donjon — the guided version is worth choosing, as the stories bring the interiors to life. Bring an extra layer: the casemates stay cool even in summer, and you walk across open ground between the forts. Plan most of a half-day for the visit; the fortress hosts historical events in season. Since 2004 the site has carried the title of Historic Monument (Pomnik historii).