Fort 47½ "Sudół"
Fortress Kraków
A small inter-field armoured fort from 1895-1897, one of the smallest forts of this type in Fortress Kraków. It blocked the valley of the Sudół Dominikański between the forts of Łysa Góra, Węgrzce, Batowice and Mistrzejowice. It had an unusual gorge-barracks structure: the right side of the block had an upper floor, the left only a ground floor, and the ceiling was up to 180 cm thick. In 1950 the fort was partly blown up and it has remained a ruin ever since. It stands on Powstańców Street, not far from the Batowice Cemetery.
History
Fort 47½ "Sudół" was built in 1895-1897. It closed off the valley of the Sudół Dominikański stream, which lies between the commanding positions of forts 47 "Łysa Góra", 47a "Węgrzce", 48 "Batowice" and 48a "Mistrzejowice". It was classed as an armoured fort of the intermediate type and was one of the smallest structures of its class in the Kraków Fortress.
The fort had no caponiers. Instead, the moat was covered by fire directly from the rampart, over a slope that dropped gently towards the moat and met the counterscarp. The slope was long, with a very gentle gradient, and in its lower part it was further reinforced with a fortress fence or barbed-wire entanglements. On the right side of the gorge barracks there was an artillery rampart with two armoured turrets and an observation cupola.
In the summer of 1914 the fortress gained real fighting strength: the gaps between the forts were filled with a continuous line of trenches, and the hills near forts 47½, 48 and 48a were covered by the "Dziekanowice-Bosutów" field position.
In 1950 the fort was partly blown up, and it has been a ruin ever since. It is located on Powstańców Street, not far from Batowice Cemetery.
Did you know?
The fort's gorge barracks had an unusual, asymmetrical design: the right part of the block had an upper floor, the left part was single-storey, and the ceiling was up to 180 cm thick.