Completed in 1880 to serve as a Prussian fortress, Fort VII gained notoriety when it was used as a Gestapo penal camp between 1939 and 1944. It processed around 18,000 Polish prisoners, of which 4,500 are estimated to have been killed. The windswept grassy grounds make for a thought provoking walk and visitors can view the ‘death wall’ where up to seven prisoners were executed daily during Nazi rule, as well as dark tunnels used as improvised gas chambers – a metal plaque outside reads: ‘Here in October 1939 Nazi Germany began the mass extermination of mentally ill people with the use of poisoned gas’. Elsewhere a vaulted brick room holds a small but haunting display that includes a guillotine, an execution block, truncheons, whips and arrest warrants. The personal effects of prisoners have also been preserved including hand written letters, playing cards, rosaries and identity papers. Chillingly graffiti etched into the walls by prisoners can still be discerned, the writing framed with red and white ribbons. Reaching Fort VII is not an easy task however. Found in the western suburbs your best bet is a taxi, with reputable drivers charging around 20zł for the journey. To get back into town you’ll usually be able to flag a cab down on the main road, though you may wish to avoid this game of chance by getting your driver to wait for the half an hour it takes to view the museum.  

Admission free.