Boyen Fortress (, ) is a former Prussian fortress located in the western part of

Giżycko Giżycko (former or ''Łuczany''; ) is a town in northeastern Poland with 28,597 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is situated between Lake Kisajno and Lake Niegocin in the region of Masuria, within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It is ...

, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northeastern Poland. It is situated on a narrow isthmus between two large lakes of the Masurian Lake District, Kisajno and Niegocin.

History

The Boyen Fortress, named after Prussian Minister of War

Hermann von Boyen Leopold Hermann Ludwig von Boyen (20 June 1771 – 15 February 1848) was a Prussian army officer who helped to reform the Prussian Army in the early 19th century. He also served as minister of war of Prussia in the period 1810–1813 and again f ...

, was built between 1844 and 1856 (or 1843 and 1855 according to some sources) by order of King

Frederick William IV Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the " romanticist on the t ...

, with a workforce of about 3,000 soldiers. During

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the fortress supported the German troops during the nearby

Battle of Tannenberg The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 23 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russ ...

in the summer of 1914 with its long range artillery, and with its garrison engaged in feint operations. During

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the fortress was not involved in military operations. It was a site for a field hospital and headquarters of the German military intelligence service (

Fremde Heere Ost Foreign Armies East (, founded in 1938), operated as a military-intelligence organization of the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH) - the Supreme High Command of the German Army before and during World War II. It focused on analyzing the Soviet Uni ...

) under

Reinhard Gehlen Reinhard Gehlen (3 April 1902 – 8 June 1979) was a German military and intelligence officer, later dubbed "Hitler's Super Spy," who served the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and West Germany, and also worked for the United States during the e ...

in 1942–1945."Wolfsschanze": Hitlers Machtzentrale im Zweiten Weltkrieg by Uwe Neumärker, Robert Conrad, Cord Woywodt, p. 50 It was abandoned by Germans without fight in 1944. After the war the fortress became administered by the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

. In 1975, it was declared a monument and opened as a tourist attraction with a small museum on its grounds.

References

Bibliography

* Jurgen Thorwald: ''Illusion - Soviet soldiers in Hitler's army,'' OWN Warsaw - Kraków in 1994 (orig. Ger. 1974), * Bogdan Vasilenko: ''Mamry and the surrounding area.'' Guide, Kętrzyn in 1996,

External links

Official homepage (English version)
Castles in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Forts in Poland 1856 establishments in Prussia Buildings and structures completed in 1856 Giżycko County {{Poland-castle-stub