Fort 53a "Winnica"
Fortress Kraków
An armoured fort from 1898-1899, together with Fort 38 "Skała" the only mountain-type fort in Fortress Kraków, on the Winnica rise (234 m above sea level). The entrance to the courtyard leads over a bridge across the moat with the original gate preserved. It was the last of the series of armoured close-defence forts, and the solutions adopted here became the prototype for combat shelters and fortified groups of the interwar period. It is one of the few forts with armoured turrets preserved and has been entered in the register of monuments; clean-up and renovation work is currently under way.
History
Fort 53a "Winnica" stands on Winnica hill (234 m above sea level), in the area of the former villages of Kostrze and Skotniki. It was built in 1898-1899 and, together with Fort 38 "Skała", is one of the two mountain forts within the Kraków Fortress. It belonged to the Austrian armoured forts of close defence, which had no heavy guns - those were placed in separate batteries behind the forts. Winnica was the last of this series, and the solutions used here later served as a model for the combat shelters and fortified groups built between the wars.
The fort is one of the few in which armoured turrets have survived. The M.94 turrets - the last of this type to be mass-produced - an observation cupola and armoured gun shields for M.94 guns have all survived. It is surrounded by a deep moat cut into the limestone rock. During the First World War a system of caverns and trenches was built in front of it. The fort is listed in the register of historic monuments.
Did you know?
There are two hills called Winnica in Kraków. Both got the name because vineyards (winnice) grew on them several hundred years ago - the climate was warmer then and good for growing grapes, and when it became harsher, the vines were abandoned.