Fort VIII in Poznań: A Nineteenth-Century Fortress Fort
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Poland
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- German
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
On this page9 sections
History
Fort VIII in Poznań, Poland, is a nineteenth-century military fort built between 1876 and 1882 as one of the 18 forts forming the Poznań Fortress, a system of fortifications surrounding and defending the city. Designed by Hans von Biehler, a German military architect and engineer, it belonged to the first stage of construction of the fortress system.
Names and military development
The fort was originally named Grolman in honour of Karl von Grolman, a Prussian general and military reformer. Until 1902, the name Grolman had also been used for Bastion III Grolman. In 1931, the fort’s German association was replaced by a Polish one, and it was renamed after General Kazimierz Grudzielski.
Its military design was modified several times. The walls and vaults were strengthened in 1888 and 1889, while six-position artillery batteries were added to the wings. Around 1905, an artillery observation post known as W.T.Neu was installed. In 1913 and 1914, several entrances were rebuilt, and the firing openings in the caponiers, fortified structures projecting into or defending a ditch, were narrowed and equipped with armoured shields.
Prisoner-of-war camp and later uses
From August 1940 until 1945, Fort VIII housed a prisoner-of-war camp for French and British soldiers. Soviet prisoners were held there from 1942, and Italian prisoners from 1944. Polish prisoners were held under the designation Stalag XXI D, a German camp category for enlisted prisoners and non-commissioned officers. The camp was evacuated in January 1945.
After the Second World War, the fort was used as a warehouse. It was sold to a private owner during the 1990s and later housed a discotheque. Motorcycle-club meetings took place there from 1994, and since 2003 the site has also accommodated the Poznań Music Scene. The fort is protected as a monument under registration number A-245, dated 25 May 1983, and forms part of the Natura 2000 protected area known as “Fortifications in Poznań.”
Remains
Fort layout and defensive earthworks
Fort VIII stands in Kasztelanowo, within Poznań’s Grunwald Południe municipal district, beside the Municipal Stadium and single-family houses. The angle between the sections of its front is 130 degrees. Unlike the other forts, it was built without counterscarp galleries, structures placed along the outer side of a defensive ditch.
Ditches and batteries
The fort is one of two main forts in Poznań without covered ditches. Its ditches are nevertheless filled with water because a drainage canal was damaged during the construction of nearby housing estates. Four concrete shelters were built on the counterscarp, the outer side of the ditch opposite the fort, and on the attached batteries. The wings also retain the additions associated with the six-position artillery batteries installed in 1888 and 1889.
Surviving buildings and alterations
Rampart supervisor’s house
The site retains the only surviving wałmistrz’s house in Poznań. This was the residence associated with the person responsible for supervising a fortress rampart or earthwork, giving the building a direct functional connection with the fort’s defensive organization.
Entrances and caponiers
The entrances were partly rebuilt in 1913 and 1914. During the same period, the firing openings in the caponiers were narrowed and fitted with armoured shields. These changes altered the fort’s defensive openings while preserving evidence of its later military adaptation.
