Kirchdorf Fortress
● Ostseebad Insel Poel
The remains of a fortress can be found southwest of Kirchdorf on the island of Poel. It was a two-part complex built between 1614 and 1619, consisting of a rampart around a church and the immediately adjacent star-shaped fortress.
The earth walls of the fortification system are of impressive size. The moats in front are recognizable as reed zones. The fortress is one of the best-preserved early modern fortifications on the German Baltic coast. The redoubt was built by Duke Adolf Friedrich I according to plans by the master builder Ghert Evert Piloot from Emden. It was a Swedish crown estate for a long time and was finally severely damaged during the Thirty Years' War and fell into disrepair over the following years. The buildings were demolished piece by piece in the 19th century. Only the village church was preserved as a brick building. A model of the old fortifications can be seen in the Kirchdorf Island Museum.