Torun Fortress
Encyclopedia
Toruń Fortress built from 1872–1894 by the Kingdom of Prussia
and located in Toruń
(now Poland
), is one of the largest fortresses
in Central
and Eastern Europe
. The fortress complex – a chain of forts surrounding the city, as well as numerous smaller fortifications supplementing it – was intended to defend the eastern border of Prussia (with the Russian Empire
). Despite much planning and investment, the fortress did not play a significant role in the First World War nor in any later conflict.
Toruń was an important town located just north of the border between Prussia and Russia, which runs from southwest to northeast, in the north along the Drwęca
tributary of the Vistula River which passes through Toruń. With improvements in artillery
techniques, including the introduction of rifled barrels and smokeless powder
), the old city walls dating from the 18th century no longer provided sufficient protection for the town.
The Prussian government started the construction of fortifications in 1872, at first using French
prisoners of war
taken during the Franco-Prussian War
. The goal was to build a chain of forts surrounding the town of Toruń. The initial plans called for five main forts and two medium ones to be constructed. In the period of 1877–1884, forts II and XI were constructed, followed by forts IV, V, VII, XV, XIII and IX. Continuing changes in artillery and siege techniques, especially the introduction of an anti-building shell in 1883, rendered some of the plans for the fortress obsolete even before it was finished. For that reason, the importance of the main artillery forts was lessened in favor of infantry forts; some artillery forts were redesigned into infantry forts and more small fortifications were constructed. Over time the number of objects to be built increased. In the years 1888–1893, forts III, VI, VIII, X, XII and XIV were added. The last to be constructed was fort I, which was the most technically advanced one. Within 32 years, about 200 fortifications were constructed. Primarily the fortress consisted of seven main forts, six medium-sized ones, six artillery batteries, 32 infantry shelters, and 52 mid-field shelters (used for artillery and ammunition sheltering).
The Toruń Fortress complex would be constantly modernised by the Prussian government, for the last time in 1914 – just before the start of the First World War. The majority of the forts were equipped with wing artillery batteries – armor artillery batteries between forts XI, XII, XII and XII, XIII, XIV, and an experimental artillery battery in fort XI. New observation points for infantry and artillery were also added. Exits from them were designed in a labyrinthine scheme, to reduce the effects from the explosions' blast wave
s.
The fortress was commissioned by the Prussia
n government; it would cost over 60 million German gold mark
s until 1914. About 30% of Toruń's infrastructure was related to the fortress, and about 25% of the city's population were employed by the fortress. Despite that investment, it was never besieged by Russian forces and took no significant part in the First World War. After the war it became a part of the Second Polish Republic
. In 1971 the fortress was officially declared a monument by the Polish government.
During the Second World War, some of the forts were used by the Germans as POW camps, collectively known as Stalag XX-A
.
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and located in Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
(now Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), is one of the largest fortresses
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
in Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. The fortress complex – a chain of forts surrounding the city, as well as numerous smaller fortifications supplementing it – was intended to defend the eastern border of Prussia (with the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
). Despite much planning and investment, the fortress did not play a significant role in the First World War nor in any later conflict.
History
Drweca
The Drwęca is a river in northern Poland and a tributary of the Vistula river near Toruń, forming a part of the city's administrative boundary. It has a length of 207 km and a basin area of 5,344 km², all in Poland.Towns:...
tributary of the Vistula River which passes through Toruń. With improvements in artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
techniques, including the introduction of rifled barrels and smokeless powder
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
), the old city walls dating from the 18th century no longer provided sufficient protection for the town.
The Prussian government started the construction of fortifications in 1872, at first using French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
taken during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. The goal was to build a chain of forts surrounding the town of Toruń. The initial plans called for five main forts and two medium ones to be constructed. In the period of 1877–1884, forts II and XI were constructed, followed by forts IV, V, VII, XV, XIII and IX. Continuing changes in artillery and siege techniques, especially the introduction of an anti-building shell in 1883, rendered some of the plans for the fortress obsolete even before it was finished. For that reason, the importance of the main artillery forts was lessened in favor of infantry forts; some artillery forts were redesigned into infantry forts and more small fortifications were constructed. Over time the number of objects to be built increased. In the years 1888–1893, forts III, VI, VIII, X, XII and XIV were added. The last to be constructed was fort I, which was the most technically advanced one. Within 32 years, about 200 fortifications were constructed. Primarily the fortress consisted of seven main forts, six medium-sized ones, six artillery batteries, 32 infantry shelters, and 52 mid-field shelters (used for artillery and ammunition sheltering).
The Toruń Fortress complex would be constantly modernised by the Prussian government, for the last time in 1914 – just before the start of the First World War. The majority of the forts were equipped with wing artillery batteries – armor artillery batteries between forts XI, XII, XII and XII, XIII, XIV, and an experimental artillery battery in fort XI. New observation points for infantry and artillery were also added. Exits from them were designed in a labyrinthine scheme, to reduce the effects from the explosions' blast wave
Blast wave
A blast wave in fluid dynamics is the pressure and flow resulting from the deposition of a large amount of energy in a small very localised volume. The flow field can be approximated as a lead shock wave, followed by a 'self-similar' subsonic flow field. In simpler terms, a blast wave is an area of...
s.
The fortress was commissioned by the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n government; it would cost over 60 million German gold mark
German gold mark
The Goldmark was the currency used in the German Empire from 1873 to 1914.-History:Before unification, the different German states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing 16⅔ grams of pure silver...
s until 1914. About 30% of Toruń's infrastructure was related to the fortress, and about 25% of the city's population were employed by the fortress. Despite that investment, it was never besieged by Russian forces and took no significant part in the First World War. After the war it became a part of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. In 1971 the fortress was officially declared a monument by the Polish government.
During the Second World War, some of the forts were used by the Germans as POW camps, collectively known as Stalag XX-A
Stalag XX-A
Stalag XX-A was a German World War II PoW Camp located in Thorn/Toruń, Poland. It was not a single camp and contained as many as 20,000 men at its peak. The main camp was located in a complex of fifteen forts that surrounded the whole of the city...
.
The complex
The Toruń Fortress complex is currently composed of 15 forts (seven artillery and eight infantry) as well as many smaller fortifications.| Name German (until 1920) Polish (afterwards) | Built | Description | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Ia "König Wilhelm I William I, German Emperor William I, also known as Wilhelm I , of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia and the first German Emperor .Under the leadership of William and his Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the... " Fort I "Jan III Sobieski" |
1888–1892 | The most modern fort in the complex was thhe last armored fort of the Second Reich.; as a prototype of the armored forts it served as the basis for many similar fortifications later built on the western border of the German Empire (for example in Metz Fortifications of Metz The Fortifications of Metz, a city in northeastern France, are extensive, due to the city's strategic position near the border of France and Germany. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the area was annexed by the newly created German Empire in 1871 by the Treaty of Frankfurt and became a... ). Despite its numeral I in both German and Polish descriptions, it was built as the last fort of the fortress, in the years 1888–1892. The fort was the location of the heaviest artillery in the fortress complex, with four 210 mm calibre howitzer Howitzer A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent... s placed in the armored towers. In addition to the artillery, the fort had two armored observation points for artillery and two infantry observation towers. |
Picture missing |
| Fort I (Buchrafort) "Bülow Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow, Graf von Dennewitz was a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:... " Fort II "Stefan Czarniecki Stefan Czarniecki Stefan Czarniecki or Stefan Łodzia de Czarnca Czarniecki Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth general and nobleman. Field Hetman of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom. He was a military commander, regarded as a Polish national hero... " |
1878–1882 | This fort was constructed as a model main artillery fort. It is the oldest main fort of Prussian design. As a part of modernisation, it was equipped with an observation point for artillery (Wz.87 - PBSt. 87) | Picture missing 53.0189°N 18.6679°W |
| Fort I-5 "Werk L'Estocq Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq was a Prussian cavalry general best known for his command of the Prussian troops at the Battle of Eylau.-Biography:... " Fort III "Stanisław Jabłonowski" |
1888–1890 | Fort III: Also known as "Long Battery" Fort. With an embankent and a moat, it shelters 18 artillery pieces. | Picture missing |
| Fort II "Yorck" Fort IV "Stanisław Żółkiewski" |
1878–1884 | Planned as a main artillery fort, it was rebuilt for the infantry. It was modernized with the addition of an observation point for artillery (Wz.87 - PBSt. 87). It is the only fort fully adapted to tourist visits. It is the site of a youth hostel for 100 people and a restaurant. |  53.0238°N 18.656°W |
| Fort III "Scharnhorst Gerhard von Scharnhorst Gerhard Johann David Waitz von Scharnhorst was a general in Prussian service, Chief of the Prussian General Staff, noted for both his writings, his reforms of the Prussian army, and his leadership during the Napoleonic Wars.... " Fort V "Jan Karol Chodkiewicz Jan Karol Chodkiewicz Jan Karol Chodkiewicz was a famous Lithuanian military commander and one of the most prominent noblemen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Biography:... " |
1878–1884 | Planned as a main artillery fort, it was rebuilt for the infantry (just as Fort IV). As a part of modernisation it was equipped with a modern observation point for artillery (Wz.87 - PBSt. 87). Before WWI, its roof was reinforced with a corrugated sheet. | Picture missing 53.0337°N 18.6463°W |
| Fort IIIa "Dohna Dohna Dohna is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, Saxony, Germany. It is located south of Heidenau. It is located in the Müglitz valley and lies west of the Eastern Ore Mountains. It was known as Donin in 1107, 1160 and until 1206. Donyn in from 1288 to 1408. Doneyn unwil 1454... " Fort VI "Jarema Wiśniowiecki" |
1889–1893 | Designed as a typical, trapezium-shaped infantry fort. Currently located in the militarized area. | Picture missing |
| Fort IV "Friedrich der Grosse Friedrich der Grosse Friedrich der Grosse is the German name for Frederick the Great, a ruler of Prussia. It is also the name of a number of German-built ships, namely:*SMS Friedrich der Grosse : A battleship with 24,700 ton displacement... " Fort VII "Tadeusz Kościuszko Tadeusz Kosciuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus... " |
1879–1883 | Planned as a main artillery fort, it was rebuilt for the infantry (just as forts IV and V). In the vicinity there is a green tourist route. Site of execution of over 1,500 Polish citizens by the Gestapo Gestapo The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police... during the Second World War in the years 1939–1940. |
Picture missing 53.0409°N 18.6329°W |
| Fort IVb "Herzog Albrecht" Fort VIII "Kazimierz Wielki" (Casimir the Great) |
1889–1893 | Designed as a typical, trapezium-shaped infantry fort. It was equipped with three observation towers for infantry and wing batteries | Picture missing |
| Fort IVa "Heinrich von Plauen" Fort IX "Bolesław Chrobry" |
1882–1885 | A medium-sized fort, rebuilt for infantry, but unfinished as its design was rendered obsolete with the coming of the demolition ammunition. | Picture missing |
| Batterie Grünthalmühte Fort X "Bateria Nadbrzeżna" (Riverside Battery) |
1889–1892 | This open artillery battery with six 120 mm artillery pieces had the aim on the Vistula River. It was the only fort with no infantry observation towers. | |
| Fort V "Grosser Kurfürst" Fort XI "Stefan Batory Stefan Batory Stephen Báthory was a Hungarian noble Prince of Transylvania , then King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania . He was a member of the Somlyó branch of the noble Hungarian Báthory family... " |
1877–1881 | Built as a model artillery fort. One of the buildings of Stalag XX-A. Currently owned by Polmozbyl company and used as a warehouse. | Picture missing 53.0431°N 18.6050°W |
| Fort Va "Ulrich von Jungingen Ulrich von Jungingen Ulrich von Jungingen was the 26th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1407 to 1410. His policy of confrontation with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland sparked the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War and led to disaster for the Order in the Battle of Grunwald.- Life... " Fort XII "Władysław Jagiełło" |
1889–1893 | Designed as a typical, trapezium-shaped fort for infantry. In 1941, it was part of Stalag XX-C. It is located in a military training field. |  |
| Fort VI "Winrich von Kniprode Winrich von Kniprode Winrich von Kniprode was the 22nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He was the longest serving Grand Master, holding the position for 31 years .... " Fort XIII "Karol Kniaziewicz Karol Kniaziewicz Baron Karol Otto Kniaziewicz was a Polish general and political activist.... " |
1880–1885 | The main artillery fort, unfinished as its design was rendered obsolete with the coming of the demolition ammunition. A military structure. Site of one of the Camps for Russian prisoners and internees in Poland Camps for Russian prisoners and internees in Poland (1919-1924) Camps for Russian prisoners and internees in Poland that existed during 1919-1924 housed two main categories of detainees:*personnel of the Imperial Russian Army, and Russian civilians, captured by Germany during World War I and left on Polish territory after the end of the war; and*Soviet military... in 1919–1924. Headquarters of the Polish Army Pomorze during the German invasion of Poland. Internment camp for Polish soldiers, later part of Stalag XX-A. |
Picture missing 53.0389°N 18.5857°W |
| Fort VIa "Hermann Balk Hermann Balk Hermann Balk , also known as Hermann von Balk or Hermann Balke, was a Knight-Brother of the Teutonic Order and its first Landmeister, or Provincial Master, in both Prussia and Livonia. From 1219 to 1227, he served as the Deutschmeister in the Order's Province of Alemannia... " Fort XIV "Józef Bem Józef Bem Józef Zachariasz Bem was a Polish general, an Ottoman Pasha and a national hero of Poland and Hungary, and a figure intertwined with other European nationalisms... " |
1889–1893 | This medium-sized infantry fort was envisioned as an irregular trapezium, with front and left side protected by a moat. Later it served as the hospital of Stalag XX-A Stalag XX-A Stalag XX-A was a German World War II PoW Camp located in Thorn/Toruń, Poland. It was not a single camp and contained as many as 20,000 men at its peak. The main camp was located in a complex of fifteen forts that surrounded the whole of the city... . |
|
| Fort VII "Hermann von Salza Hermann von Salza Hermann von Salza was the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1210 to 1239... " Fort XV "Henryk Dąbrowski" |
1881–1885 | Designed as an artillery fort and refitted for an infantry stronghold, it was later equipped with an artillery observation point. (Wz.87 - PBSt. 87). Used as camp for Russian soldiers, later part of Stalag XX-A, and after the war, briefly, a camp for German prisoners. | Picture missing 53.0348°N 18.5645°W |
| Fort VIII Fort (?)XVI |
(?)1889–1893 | No details | Picture missing 53.0231°N 18.5569°W |
| Fort IX Fort (?)XVII |
(?)1889–1893 | No details | Picture missing 53.0155°N 18.5587°W |
External links
- 15 forts as seen from satellite (Google Earth) Photos
- Twierdza Toruń / Festung Thorn on the pages of historical department of University of Toruń At Toruń's Fortification Friends page: