Fort IXa in Poznań: An Intermediate Fort of the Poznań Fortress
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Poland
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- German
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
On this page7 sections
History
Fort IXa in Poznań, Poland, is an intermediate fort, a detached defensive work positioned between larger fortifications, built from 1877 to 1881 during the first construction stage of the Poznań Fortress. It was one of the 18 forts forming that defensive system, and its construction was directed by the Engineering Committee of the Main Inspectorate of Fortresses.
Construction and changing names
The fort was initially called Witzleben. Until 1902, however, that name had belonged to Witzleben Redoubt II. In 1931, Fort IXa received the patron name of Wincenty Aksamitowski, a Polish colonel.
Military use and the Battle of Poznań
On 15 April 1919, Fort IXa and Fort IX were assigned to a school for infantry non-commissioned officers. During the Battle of Poznań on 26 January 1945, artillery fire struck the fort and Dębiec Grove after 18:00. The attack forced German troops defending the railway line to withdraw, enabling battalions of the 226th and 240th regiments to enter the area around the fort.
Later that evening, the 240th Regiment surrounded Fort IXa and tried to enter it. An attempt to blast open its armored hatches failed, so sappers threw an inflammable mixture into the ventilation shafts and ignited it with hand grenades. The German garrison then evacuated in panic. Some soldiers escaped, while 200 were taken prisoner.
Rebuilding and protection
The fort was rebuilt in the early 1940s during modernization of the Poznań-Wrocław railway route. Its grounds now form part of the Natura 2000 special area of conservation “Fortifications in Poznań” (PLH300005), a European conservation designation for important habitats or species. The site is entered in the heritage register as A-245, dated 25 May 1983, and is owned by the City of Poznań. Since 2007, a company has leased the fort for paintball games.
Remains
Fort IXa stands in Dębiec beside a secondary school complex and residential estates. The Poznań-Wrocław railway line runs west of the fort, near Poznań Dębiec station. It is the only surviving intermediate fort of the old type. Its arrangement resembles Fort IVa, although the positions of the two front caponiers, fortified structures projecting into a ditch to cover it with fire, were exchanged.
Layout and access routes
The fort was reached by a fortress road and a lateral road. Their arrangement indicates that planners may have intended a ferry crossing or pontoon bridge over the Warta as an alternative to the railway bridge at Starołęka. This road system therefore preserves evidence of the fort’s relationship to wider military communications.
Surviving installations
Fort IXa retains the only surviving hand-operated fortress water pump. Two W.T.90 observation positions were added after 1892. During the early-1940s rebuilding, the fort’s right shoulder and its caponier were demolished, while the original ditch was replaced by a temporary fence.
Nearby sites
