There are so many of them and they are so strongly inscribed in the city landscape that the inhabitants do not notice them anymore. We just pass them on the way to work or walk the dogs nearby. Few of us wonder where they came from, what was their function. They are simply with us forever.
In one of my previous posts, I wrote about the largest and most beautifully situated object of this type, Fort Citadel 2 "Kosciuszko". About 35 similar buildings have survived in Krakow, but taking into account also small buildings, you can find about 100 remains of the Krakow Fortress in my city.
About the history of Krakow Fortress (Festung Krakau), I wrote more here. For a brief introduction, it was a system of over 120 defensive works of various types built at the behest of the emperor Franz Josef.
I live in an estate that was built on the outskirts of the city, next to a ruined fort hidden in the wooded park. There is another similar object in the neighboring estate. We kids called them "bunkers". As a child, I loved to play there. The forts are covered with the ground, so there are lots of knolls - in the winter it's perfect for sledding. In the summer, we explored the mysterious, ruined walls with all the kids from the estate. It was an adventure!
When I grew up, it turned out that our "bunkers" are nothing special in my city. I was disappointed;)
But today I like visiting other forts, and now I will show you two of them.
Fort „Warsaw Lunette” built in 1850–1856, protected the tollbooth of the Warsaw Route.
After the First World War, when Poland regained independence and the Austrians left the fort, it was used as a warehouse. During the Nazi occupation (1939-1945), it was converted into a Gestapo prison. Then until 1950, it served as a UB (communist, repressive state security authority) prison. The fort is quite well preserved, partially restored.
About 1.5 km further, you will find one of the most powerful forts of the core of the Festung Krakau - Bastion III "Kleparz". The fort, built in the years 1856-1859, didn't take part in military operations, and after World War I it was taken over by the Polish army. During World War II, the Nazis imprisoned Soviet soldiers here.
Today, surrounded by a small park, it's ideal for walks. My grandparents lived nearby a long time ago. When I was little, I used to come here with my grandfather to sledding.
It's a large object. In some places, you can see the passage of time - the wall is crumbling. Some parts are fenced and marked as dangerous.
But conservation works are underway. A few steps further we can see a renovated fragment.
The building has high commercial potential - in the best-preserved part, there is a music club with an area of over 1000 m2 - now unfortunately closed. I was here for a concert a few years ago - the interiors have a unique atmosphere.
Nature beautifully decorates the whole building. It's winter now; it's even more beautiful in summer! The roofs are covered with a green carpet.
As you can see, old forts are also a great place to run a small business. A cafe or a dance school in such a location has its undoubted charm.
It's a pity those walls are dead again. There is no music playing, no cheerful hubbub. Only a few tourists walking around, people flit quickly on their way to work. I'm waiting for life to come back here.
Greetings from Krakow!
I'm the only author of the text and all photos.
Wow that is quite something. Have you ever been inside?
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Yes, I had the opportunity to see the available interiors in Fort Kleparz during a concert a few years ago. Many other ruined and abandoned forts can be visited on your own, althoug it's dangerous. Fort in my neighborhood is ruined and it's better not to come inside, but I bet the kids are still playing inside like I used to long time ago :)
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So many ruins and forgotten places left behind, that's painful! We have plenty of these in my country and it feels so bad not seeing people pay enough attention to them or try to bring them to life..
It's true ... but I wonder what hurts me more - leaving the ruins alone or their reconstruction and conversion into modern buildings... When I see renovation work, I always wonder what the result will be.
Yeah, definitely. It's a game with risks on not sides but I guess bringing a more modern structure would be still something instead of not caring at all..