This is one of four forts belonging to the Świnoujście fortress. It was built in the middle of the 19th century on the island of Usedom. Currently, it houses the Museum of the History of the Świnoujście Fortress.
The West Battery is one of the four forts of the Swinoujscie Fortress. It was built in the years 1856-1861. Its task was to defend the harbor against enemy ships. It was a one-story redoubt on a square ground plan. A few years later it was reinforced with brick wings and surrounded with an earthen wall and a moat. After 1878, the coastal battery was fortified with artillery terraces and casemates. Later the artillery rampart became a redoubt fort, they also established other gun emplacements. The next stage in the fort's development was installation of machine guns and light mortars. After the First World War the fort was disarmed. The fort was rearmed in the interwar period - a battery of four 150-mm coastal guns was set up. In 1941, a concrete command bunker was built in the west wing. After 1945, the Russians built three more bunkers - in the middle and at both ends of the fort. After the war, the facility was used by the Soviet Russian Navy. In 1962 it was handed over to the city, but Soviet Russian units stationed in Świnoujście until 1992. It is interesting to note that from the West Battery the battleship Schleswig Holstein departed, which on September 1, 1939 shelled Westerplatte and started the Second World War.
In 2001, a group of enthusiasts from the association "Reduta" leased the West Battery. After revitalization, the Historical Museum of Swinoujscie Fortress was opened here in 2004.
The exhibition consists of a museum part and an open-air part. The museum part is divided into four thematic sections. The first one presents the Prussian period of the 19th and 20th centuries. The second covers the interwar period and the period of the Second World War. Section number 3 presents the times of the "cold war". In the fourth one can see the history of the navy port and showpieces from the wrecks. The open-air exhibition shows cannons, sea mines, torpedoes, rocket launchers and depth charges. The entire facility is surrounded by a moat and covers an area of about 2 hectares.
The tour route includes the museum room and the marked circuit around the entire fort. Visitors can see the guardhouse, the fire control tower, underground parts and artillery emplacements. Organized groups are led by a guide. Tour of the whole complex takes about 1 hour. Tourists visiting the fortress in summer must wear warm clothes due to the low temperature in the complex.
In Świnoujście, other similar sights await lovers of military and history, as three of the four fortresses built in the 19th century are still preserved and open to the public.
