Fort 5

Fort 5

Fort 5 is a defensive architecture monument and a war-historical memorial complex. This is one of the 12 powerful forts that were located along the perimeter of the ring road around Koenigsberg. Fort 5 was built in 1878 and was named King Friedrich-Wilhelm III whose rule fell on the tragic years for Prussia of the war with Napoleon.

It is an elongated hexagon, a central structure with a size of 360 by 180 metres, surrounded by a water ditch 20-25 metres wide and 3-5 metres deep. From the main entrance, which was covered with a powerful fighting pillbox, a central gallery leads inside the fort. The symmetrically located central structure included the barracks for soldiers and officers, an infirmary, a kitchen and a dining room, ammunition depots, food storage, a guard room and a boiler room. The ceilings of the fort are vaulted, and are made of brick, sand and concrete, up to 5 metres thick. There is a six-metre earth rampart along the perimeter. For camouflage, the fort was planted with trees.

Fort 5 was part of the combat area of the Rifle Corps 54 and Army 43 commanded by Lieutenant-General A.S. Ksenofontov, and it also covered the road Koenigsberg - Rauschen (Kaliningrad - Svetlogorsk). On 8 April 1945, during the assault on Koenigsberg, Fort 5 was seized during long hours of continuous fighting. The guarantee of victory in the storm of the fort was the massive heroism of Soviet soldiers. 15 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Their names are immortalised on a memorial stone.

Now visitors can go inside the fort, get acquainted with the history of the creation of the fort belt, study the exhibition of military equipment. The territory presents various military historical exhibitions.

The information obtained from the official site of the Museum of History and Art - www.museum.ru