Festung Warschau

Festung Warschau (German for Fortress Warsaw) was the name applied in German language to Warsaw when the city was defended, which happened under various constellations in the course of history, with and without involvement of German-speaking troops.

In the 20th century, the term Festung Warschau was used three times, all due to German participation. It was used when the Germans threw back the Russian advance in 1914, and by October, the city of Warsaw came within distance of the fighting. The term resurfaced during World War II, beginning with September 1939's German invasion of Poland. Later in the war, three years after the Germans attacked the Soviet Union, Festung Warschau again entered German vocabularly, as between September 1944 and January 1945, the retreating Germans tried to establish a defense in the city.