Main Artillery Fort 47 "Łysa Góra"

Fort 47 “Łysa Góra” in Węgrzce is a brick artillery fort of the former Kraków Fortress, built in sector V of its defences. Today it is not open to visitors, so it is viewed mainly from the outside.

Construction and layout

Work on the fort lasted from the 1870s to the mid-1880s, in several stages. According to the Wikipedia entry it is the only artillery fort in the Kraków Fortress of brick construction. It has an unusual, asymmetrical layout with a single defensive wall and barracks in the form of a half-bastion. The monument was entered in the register in 2006.

Armament and fate

In the 1880s the garrison numbered 951 people, including 22 officers. The fort had 24 guns on the rampart and 12 for defence of the moat. Before the First World War the number of rampart guns was reduced to ten and newer 9 cm casemate guns were added. No fighting took place here during the war. After 1918 it housed barracks and military stores, and after the Second World War the site fell into serious decay. It was later taken over by private investors, who built a residential complex beside it.

Practical information

• Location: Węgrzce, Zielonki municipality, north of Kraków.
• The fort is closed to visitors, and according to Wikipedia, after renovation it was adapted as a motel.
• In the area, about 4 km further on, is the Polish Aviation Museum.