Fort 41a “Mydlniki”: An Auxiliary Infantry Fort in Kraków
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Poland
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Habsburg
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
On this page6 sections
History
Construction and defensive role
Fort 41a “Mydlniki” is an auxiliary infantry fort in Kraków, Poland, constructed in 1895–1896 as part of the Kraków Fortress. This large defensive system surrounded Kraków with forts and related works that protected the city and its approaches. The fort belonged to Sector IV, which defended the western area between the valleys of the Rudawa and Prądnik rivers, and protected the Rudawa valley from the north.
Internment during the Polish–Bolshevik War
During the Polish–Bolshevik War, the armed conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Bolshevik Soviet Russia from 1919 to 1921, Fort 41a “Mydlniki” was used to intern Polish communists. Those held there included Józef Ciszewski, Ludwik Prentki, Leon Purman, Witold Tomorowicz, Wacław Wróblewski, Adolf Zalberg, and Stefan Żbikowski.
The internees’ families had not been told where they were being held, so they sought help from the editorial office of Robotnik, which publicized the case. At the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister Ignacy Daszyński, the Sejm, Poland’s lower parliamentary house, established a commission on 16 September 1920 to investigate conditions at Mydlniki. The commission included Zygmunt Marek, a deputy of the Polish Socialist Party, a political party associated with the socialist movement.
The commission judged conditions at the fort dangerous to health and demanded that the internees be moved elsewhere. It also ruled that holding them without a court sentence was unlawful. At the end of October 1920, the internees were transferred to the Warsaw Citadel. During the first months of 1921, some were released, while others were designated for a prisoner exchange with Soviet Russia.
Monument protection
Fort 41a “Mydlniki” was entered in Poland’s register of monuments under registration number A-123/M on 8 November 2007.
Remains
Hilltop fortification
The fort is an auxiliary infantry fort positioned on a prominent hill overlooking the surrounding area. It stands on General B. Wieniawa-Długoszowski Street in Kraków, approximately 200 metres northeast of Kraków Mydlniki railway station. Its physical setting reflects its role within Sector IV and its position north of the Rudawa valley.
Nearby sites
