Kugelbake Fort

The strategic importance of the location at the Elbe estuary was recognized in the early 19th century. Prussian plans for a fortress emerged in 1867, and construction of the fort began in 1869. The foundation stone was laid on May 28, 1870, and the first guns were installed in the autumn of the same year. Construction was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War and resumed after 1871, funded by French reparations. A first phase of expansion was completed in 1873, and by 1879, the facility was fully operational. Initially armed with 14 coastal guns, the fort was intended to prevent enemy ships from accessing the Elbe. During World War I, the fort saw no combat, as no enemy ships reached the Elbe estuary. After the war, it was allowed to remain a coastal defense facility under the Treaty of Versailles, albeit with reduced armament.