Fort A

In order to secure the Cologne-Minden railway line, Forts A, B and C were built in the Minden fortress complex from 1847. Fort A was completed in 1849 and used for military purposes as planned until the Minden fortress was abolished.

Because the ground was contaminated with meters of oil from its previous use, the site had to be extensively renovated. Original plans to set up the Prussian Museum here came to nothing. Fort A was used as temporary storage for larger agricultural equipment, which was stored here until a possible exhibition in the Minden Museum.

When the British left the city in 1994 and thus their barracks on Simeonsplatz, the buildings were earmarked for museum use. Fort A was left to its fate. The ensemble remained dormant for years before the Tucholsky Bühne took it over in 2008. The theater people are firmly convinced that the ancient building has never been put to better use than it is today. They say that Fort A has simply been waiting for them for so long.