Silver Mountain Fortress

Medals available in the lobby!

The Silver Mountain Fortress (Twierdza Srebrna Góra) is a unique site in Europe’s cultural heritage and one of the most important attractions in Lower Silesia. At the time of its construction (1763–1785), it was among the most advanced fortifications of its kind in Europe. The most admired feature—then and now—is the massive Donjon, one of the most fascinating structures of modern-era fortifications.

However, the Silver Mountain Fortress is not a single structure but rather a complex of forts towering above the town. It consists of six forts and several bastions. Its core is formed by a group of bastions with the Donjon at its center. This structure contained 151 fortress chambers (casemates) spread across three levels. With vast storage rooms, wells, an armory, a chapel, a prison, a hospital, a bakery, a brewery, workshops, and a gunpowder magazine, the fort was entirely self-sufficient.

It could garrison 3,756 soldiers and stockpile enormous reserves of ammunition, fuel, and food. Its defense relied on 264 cannons and mortars. Within the fortress, 9 wells were dug, including the deepest (84 m) in Fort Ostróg. The scale and strategic location of this system make it one of Europe’s largest mountain defensive complexes.

In 2002, Poland’s first Fortress Cultural Park was established in Srebrna Góra, becoming a key organization dedicated to the restoration and development of the fortifications. The fortress’s promotion was further boosted in 2007 with the creation of a historical reenactment group—Infanterie-Regiment von Alvensleben (No. 33)—whose uniforms reflect the garrison stationed there during the Franco-Prussian War. Since then, tourists have been guided by “soldiers” who demonstrate historical weapons and display military and mining artifacts from the Srebrna Góra area—soon to form the collection of a future fortress museum.