Fort 51 "Rajsko"
Fortress Kraków
One of the artillery forts of Fortress Kraków, built in 1881-1884. It was one of the largest forts of its class in Austria-Hungary, and its area is about 2,600 square metres. It stands on Rajsko hill, the highest in the area (349 m above sea level), a good observation point; Droga Rokadowa Street runs nearby. Its group of defensive works included, among others, the redoubts IS-VII-3 and IS-VII-4, the "Rajsko" ammunition shelter and the FB 51a battery.
History
Fort 51 "Rajsko" was built in 1881-1884 as an artillery fort. It is the largest artillery fort in the outer ring of Kraków Fortress; it would not even fit on the Main Market Square. Rajsko Hill, on which it stands, is the highest in the area (349 m above sea level) and is covered in woodland. It offered a good view of the surroundings, and the fort itself can be seen from more than 40 kilometres away. Today it is the fortress's most valuable green area.
The fort was made of cast concrete. Inside is a huge main shelter with two vaulted powder chambers; its walls are two metres thick and are protected from above by a five-metre layer of earth. Its main armament was heavy artillery. The defensive complex also included an ammunition shelter, battery FB 51a and infantry redoubts, among them IS-VII-3 from 1887-1888, which covered the fort from the south.
In December 1914, on 4 and 5 December, the fort's garrison took an active part in defending Kraków against the attacking Russians. At the end of the German occupation, German soldiers held out in it. For several decades, from the interwar period onwards, the fort served as a store.
Did you know?
In 1909 an explosion at the powder magazine in Wola Duchacka split the fort in two.