Fort Stronghold

Fort Stronghold

At the end of the 19th century the polygonal Poznan fortress was qualified to be reconstructed and turned into a fort stronghold. The Poznan forts were built according to standard projects by general von Biehler, prepared for Strassburg fortress in 1870s. The ring of forts had a radius of 4-5 km away from the City Hall on the Old Market Square. Two similar types of forts were built around Poznan. Type 1 with a wider middle of neck barracks (forts: II, III, V, VII, IX) and type 2 with narrower ones (forts: I, IV, VI, VIII). They also have different pennants of barracks necks: type 1 has 9 rooms in its central part (and a bridge in the middle one), 4 rooms and earth closets in the annexe in the side wings; type 2 has 5 rooms in its central part and 6 rooms and earth closets in the annexe. In the caponier twists of the barracks both types have 3 rooms. Therefore, excluding the middle room with an entrance gate on the axis of the fort, type 1 and type 2 on each level of barracks have 16 rooms and 6 caponier rooms.

The forts can be visited and here is where you find them: main forts - fort I, Książęca Str. (Starołęka), fort II - Obodrzycka Str. (Żegrze), fort III - New Zoo area (Łączy Młyn), fort IV - Bartycka Str. (Karolin), fort V - Lechicka Str. (Naramowice), fort VI - Lutycka Str. (Podolany), fort VII - Polska Av. (Ogrody), fort VIII - Rumuńska Str. (Grunwald), fort IX - Skalna Str. (Świerczewo). Auxiliary forts - old type: fort IVa - Lechicka Str. (Wilczy Młyn), fort VIa - Golęcińska Str. (Golęcin), fort IXa - 28 Czerwca 1956 Str. (Dębiec); new type: fort Ia - Golężyńska Str. (Minikowo), fort IIa - Czecha estate (Chartowo), fort IIIa - cemetery (Miłostowo), fort Va - Lechicka Str. (Piątkowo), fort VIIa - Marcelińska Str. (Marcelin), fort VIIIa - Kopernika estate (Górczyn).