BASTION OF ST. HEDWIG IN NYSA

Located in the centre of Nysa, St. Hedwig's Bastion is part of the city's fortifications erected in the 14th century. Its current two-story shape is the result of a 17th-century reconstruction, when it was to be converted into a barracks. In the early 19th century, it was used as a munitions depot during the siege by Napoleonic forces, which lasted as long as 114 days; in 1870, it served as a prison for French prisoners of war. Later it served as a barracks. Today, after extensive renovation, it is the headquarters of a four-star tourist information centre. It also houses a new attraction: the Small Science Centre "SOWA". A tourist route runs through the historic corridors of the bastion, forming part of a trail that follows the former fortifications of the Nysa Fortress, which was once one of the finest in Europe.

Notably, the Nysa fortress was used to hold such individuals as the Marquis de La Fayette, the outstanding politician of the French Revolution and one of the authors of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. During World War I, Charles de Gaulle, later President of France, was imprisoned here as well.