''Festung'' is the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

word for

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

. Although it is not in common usage in English, it is used in contexts related to Central European, especially German, history. The term is used: * In the names of

es in

German speaking Europe This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the Germanosphere () in Europe, German-speaking minorities are ...

* For fortified areas in Switzerland's

National Redoubt A national redoubt or national fortress is an area to which the (remnant) military forces of a nation can be withdrawn if the main battle has been lost or even earlier if defeat is considered inevitable. Typically, a region is chosen with a geogra ...

* In German World War Two propaganda for: ** Festung Europa — The defensive buildup of Western Europe against the Allies *** Vital locations along the

Atlantic wall The Atlantic Wall () was an extensive system of coastal defence and fortification, coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defense (military), d ...

, including the entirety of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

** For key strategic locations which were to be held at all costs, especially towards the end of the war *** Festung Stalingrad following the city's encirclement in

Operation Uranus Operation Uranus () was a Soviet 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis forces in the vicinity of Stalingrad: the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romani ...

***

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 ...

— used in different contexts in 1939 and 1944 *** Festung Posen *** Festung Kolberg ***

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 ...

*** Festung Budapest ***

Festung Königsberg ''Festung'' is the German word for fortress. Although it is not in common usage in English, it is used in contexts related to Central European, especially German, history. The term is used: * In the names of fortresses in German speaking Europe * ...

***

Alpenfestung The Alpine Fortress () or Alpine Redoubt was the World War II German national redoubt planned by Heinrich Himmler in November and December 1943."Himmler started laying the plans for underground warfare in the last two months of 1943.... The pla ...

— the planned national redoubt ** For proposed post war German exclaves in key places such as Brest and

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

References

{{SIA German words and phrases

See also

References