New Krakow Fortress forts in my collection

I've been getting a little tired of the winter grayness, so in this post, I'll be back to warm and colorful days. Last year I challenged myself to get to know my hometown better by walking in new places. I walked hundreds of kilometers - literally :)

There were some uninteresting corners where I will not go again. But I also discovered many fascinating places, so Krakow has become more familiar.

I have long been interested in the vast complex of forts that are part of the so-called Krakow Fortress. I periodically return to this subject because I grew up near one of the forts and feel emotionally connected to its history. Hidden in a small park next to my house fired my childhood imagination.

The Krakow Fortress is a 19th-century Austrian fortification consisting of more than a hundred structures forming defensive rings around the city (at that time, Poland didn't exist as a state, and Krakow was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). Today, almost all objects are part of the city. Some are close to the center, while others are on its outskirts.

As part of my challenge to get to know the city last year, I visited three new forts, each in a different part of Krakow.

--

The first was the artillery fort "Prokocim" near the city's southern border. Until recently, I had little knowledge of this area, as I live in the north (about an hour's drive by public transport).

The majority are residential neighborhoods here, until recently considered as dangerous. Every city has its "urban legends" ;)

The fort is hidden among dense vegetation. In the summer, it's hard to spot it at first glance.

This facility has been abandoned for years. You can visit it on your own with caution. Since I was alone and didn't know the area, I only viewed it from the outside. Such places are frequented by amateurs of cheap alcohol, especially during nice weather. There was more than one get-together behind the old walls ;)

The whole fort is surrounded by a high, massive rampart. The park is very wild - I like such places in the city.

After a while, I went down the embankment to the level of the buildings. I was cautious but not afraid. I've been used to such structures since I was a child.

To get to the core of the fort, you must pass through several covered, narrow passages called the postern. In the past, they were protected by soldiers.

The fort took part in the fighting against the Russians, in December 1914, at the beginning of World War I.

It was a quiet day. I met only two young people who, like me, were visiting the fort.

--

Another new addition to my collection is the artillery fort "Krzeslawice," located in the northeastern part of the city, close to where I live. So why have I never visited it until now? Maybe because it's one of the few fully renovated, and I have a fondness for ruins ;) Also, this building took part in the fighting in the first phase of World War I.

I visited it in the middle of a beautiful golden autumn.

The area around the fort is orderly, quite different from the previously presented site.

There is currently a Youth Cultural Center, so I didn't go inside.

From the rampart surrounding the fort, I could see only the tops of the inner fortifications.

The site has a tragic history related to World War II. Executions of Polish patriots took place in the fort's moats in 1939-41; Nazis killed 440 people. That's why a memorial site was built next to the fort on the ramparts.

It's a good place for a moment's reflection.

--

I arrived at the third fort in late November. It was cold, and there was little left of the autumn colors. To the armored fort "Lasowka," located on the south bank of the Vistula River, leads not heavily used road. It is an out-of-the-way place perfect for walks. A bicycle path runs along the Vistula embankment right next to it, and the fog often fills the entire area.