Fort II in Kaliningrad, Military fortress in Maloje Wassilkowo, Russia.
Fort II in Maloje Wassilkowo is a military fortification built from stone with massive walls and bastions spread across a large area. The structure displays typical 19th-century military design with raised positions for observation and defense.
Fort II Bronzart was laid out in 1875 and completed in 1879 to cover the Königsberg–Tilsit highway, and was named after General Paul Bronsart von Schellendorf. It was modernized in the 1890s, when its garrison reached 250 men and construction cost about 3 million marks. During the 1945 East Prussian operation it escaped heavy Soviet shelling and survived largely intact.
The fort is named after General Paul Bronsart von Schellendorf, and its German designation 'Bronsart bei Mandein' refers to the nearby village. Since the 1990s the site has passed into private ownership, and the owners have carried out partial restoration, including new electrical wiring and repointed masonry joints, while the drainage system remains unfinished.
The fort is privately owned and open to visitors; visits are arranged with the owners, so contact them before travelling. Partial restoration work has been carried out, but the drainage system repair was left unfinished, so parts of the grounds may be damp. The site lies in Maloje Wassilkowo, near the road that the fort once guarded between Königsberg and Tilsit.
The fort escaped heavy Soviet shelling during the East Prussian offensive of 1945, which is why its brickwork survives largely intact. In 1995–1996 one hall housed a reserve command post (ZKP) while the rest served as a vegetable store for an artillery regiment. Private owners have since rewired the interior and partly restored the masonry joints, but the drainage system remains unfinished.
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