''Festung'' is a generic
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
word for a
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. Although it is not in common usage in English, it is used in a number of historical contexts involving German speakers:
* For historical
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
es in
Austria,
Germany or
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
* As part of the reasoning given by the German Army (''
Heer
Heer may refer to:
People
* Jeet Heer, Canadian author and journalist
* Jeffrey Heer (born 1979), American computer scientist and entrepreneur
* Kamal Heer (born 1973), Punjabi singer and musician
* Oswald Heer (1809–1883), Swiss botanist and ...
'') for the slow progress of the
Siege of Warsaw
* For
German WWII strongholds
German strongholds during World War II (german: Festung " fortresses") were towns and cities designated by Adolf Hitler as areas that were to be fortified and stocked with food and ammunition in order to hold out against Allied offensives.
The f ...
which were to be held at all costs, especially towards the end of the war:
**
Alpine Fortress or ''Alpenfestung''
**
Atlantic wall
The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...
or ''
Festung Europa
Fortress Europe (german: Festung Europa) was a military propaganda term used by both sides of the Second World War which referred to the areas of Continental Europe occupied by Nazi Germany, as opposed to the United Kingdom across the Channe ...
— a military propaganda term from the Second World War which referred to the areas of Continental Europe occupied by Nazi Germany.
**
Stalingrad
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
(see
Battle for Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
)
**
Warsaw (
Festung Warschau
In the German language, ''Festung Warschau'' ("Fortress Warsaw") is the term used to refer to a fortified and well-defended Warsaw. In the 20th century, the term was in use on three occasions during World War I and World War II. It was used when t ...
) see also the
Warsaw Uprising
**
Poznań (
Battle of Posen)
**
Kolobrzeg (
Battle of Kolberg)
**
Piła (Festung Schneidemühl)
**
Wrocław (
Festung Breslau
The siege of Breslau, also known as the Battle of Breslau, was a three-month-long siege of the city of Breslau in Lower Silesia, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland), lasting to the end of World War II in Europe. From 13 February 1945 to 6 May 19 ...
)
**
Budapest (
Battle of Budapest)
**
Kaliningrad (
Festung Königsberg
''Festung'' is a generic German word for a fortress. Although it is not in common usage in English, it is used in a number of historical contexts involving German speakers:
* For historical fortresses in Austria, Germany or Switzerland
* As par ...
)
* For entire countries such as
Norway which were heavily fortified in World War II. See
Festung Norwegen
{{Norway during World War II
Festung Norwegen (Fortress Norway) was the German term for the heavy defence and fortification system of Norway during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany in World War II. Some, including ''Reichskommissar'' Jose ...
.
* For proposed post war German enclaves in places such as
Brest and
Trondheim.
* For planned
national redoubts such as Switzerland's
National Redoubt (Schweizer Alpenfestung).
See also
References
{{SIA
German words and phrases
