One of the best preserved fortifications in Gdansk. Long before the construction of the Wisłoujście Fortress, as probably as early as the 13th century, the entrances to the port of Gdańsk st was guarded by a small fortification with wood and earth fortifications and a wooden watchtower. From the Teutonic Knights' times comes a mention of a sea watchtower and a fire lit at night on the tower. At the time, the watchtower was located right at the mouth of the Vistula River into the Gulf of Gdansk. In the 16th and 17th centuries, sand carried by the river began to be deposited, forming extensive shoals, then an island, and eventually a peninsula named Westerplatte (literally: eastern plate). Thus, the coastal fortress , "moved away" from the harbor exit. During a violent Baltic storm in 1465, the first fortress was swallowed up by the waves. In its place was built in 1482 a brick defensive structure - the so-called "blockhauz" - and a cylindrical observation tower several meters high. Until 1758, the tower also served as a lighthouse, which is why it was called the Old Lighthouse. From historical accounts, it is known that the fortress was visited by Polish kings, including Sigismund the Old (in 1526) and Sigismund Augustus (in 1552). In 1562, the blockhouse was replaced by the so-called Wreath, a masonry circular defense structure surrounding a tower with a lantern. From the end of the 16th century, Danzig's coastal fortress began to be expanded to better suit its defense against artillery attacks.
09.07.2015
