Świnoujście lies at the main mouth through which ships sail from the Baltic into the Szczecin Lagoon and on to Szczecin. For Prussia it was a strategic spot, so in the mid-19th century a fortress was built here to guard the harbour entrance from both banks of the Świna.
Three forts you can visit
- Fort Gerharda (the East Fort, Werk II) on the right bank, in Warszów. Built in 1848-1859 and modernised several times. The best preserved of the forts, home to the Coastal Defence Museum since 2010.
- Fort Anioła (Angel Fort) on the left bank, at the edge of Park Zdrojowy. Built in 1854-1858 as a three-storey round rotunda with a terrace and an observation tower. It defended the western part of the fortress from the land side and held about a hundred soldiers.
- The West Fort at the mouth of the Świna, built in 1856-1861. During the Second World War it was called Fort Henningsen; after the war it was used by the Soviet army, which added concrete gun emplacements.
The forts today
All three are listed monuments and can be visited. The easiest way is to combine them in two walks: on the left side of the Świna The fort trail, and on the right By ferry to the wild beach, past Fort Gerharda and the lighthouse.
