Fort 7 "Za Rzeką"
Fortress Kraków
A historic redoubt fort, also called "Bronowice", at Rydla Street, entered in the register of monuments. It was built in 1857-1865 on the site of an FS-type earthwork from 1854. At its centre stands a brick, single-storey, horseshoe-plan redoubt, and a drawbridge has survived in the redoubt gate. Throughout the 20th century and the early 21st the fort belonged to the army and served as a warehouse; since 13 September 2021 its owner has been the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków.
History
Redoubt Fort No. 7 "Za Rzeką", also known as Bronowice, stands on the west side of Rydla Street. It was built in 1857-1865 on the site of an FS-type entrenchment (Feuerschanze) from 1854 and belongs to the second defensive ring of the Kraków Fortress. Traverses were added on the rampart in 1888, and a traditor battery was built in 1909 in the left shoulder and the gorge.
Its design is typical of a redoubt fort. The earth rampart has a brick-lined slope, a moat runs around it, and in the moat there are two "cat's ears" caponiers. In the middle stands a single-storey brick redoubt on a horseshoe plan, with an earth-covered terrace and a parapet, surrounded by a spacious courtyard and a rampart. The redoubt gate still has its drawbridge. It is one of the best-preserved forts of this type.
Throughout the 20th century and into the early 21st, the fort belonged to the army and was used as a warehouse. For a long time it was owned by the Military Property Agency and closed to the public. Since 13 September 2021 the fort has been owned by the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków. Bronowice Park lies next to the fort, and in 2018 the city also took over the grounds around the fort itself, where benches and a colourful wildflower meadow have appeared.
Did you know?
The street on which the fort stands used to be the boundary road between Bronowice Małe and Łobzów. It got its present name in 1933, after Lucjan Rydel, a poet associated with Bronowice.