Fort 50a "Lasówka"
Fortress Kraków
A historic inter-field armoured fort from 1899, designed by Emil Gołogórski, on the southern bank of the Vistula at Golikówka Street. It stood out for unusual solutions, among them moats filled with water from the Vistula, which is why it was called a water fort. It defended the river valley, the embankments and a nearby crossing, and supported with its fire Fort 49½a "Mogiła" on the northern bank. From the 1960s the fort was devastated, and the "Barwa" cooperative added warehouses that disturbed its original shape.
History
Fort 50a "Lasówka" is a historic fort of Kraków Fortress, built in 1899 to a design by Emil Gołogórski. It stands on the south bank of the Vistula, on Golikówka Street, and belonged to the 7th fortified area. It was an intermediate armoured fort and stood out for several unusual features: its moats were filled with water from the Vistula, which is why it was called the water fort. Its task was to defend the south bank of the river, that is the valley, the embankments and the nearby crossing, and it also gave covering fire to Fort 49 ½a "Mogiła" on the other side of the Vistula.
In 1918-1919, during the political upheaval, the fort was vandalised, but it was later repaired. Between the wars it briefly served as a warehouse, but heavy damp made it unsuitable for this. During the Second World War it was again used as a warehouse, and after the war it was taken over by the civil authorities. From the 1960s the fort fell into decay: the "Barwa" cooperative added warehouses that spoiled its original shape, and in 2001 thieves took the armoured shutters and the original firing balustrade.
Did you know?
The fort lies on the Kraków Fortress Trail. The trail is waymarked in yellow-black-yellow, the colours of the Habsburgs and imperial Austria, and its southern loop is 41 km long.