Wisłoujście Fortress - highlights of
history
In the close vicinity of the Westerplatte peninsula
lies a unique fortification monument - the Wisłoujście Fortress. The name
Wisłoujście (the mouth of the Vistula) dates back to the time when the Vistula
had its estuary north of the Wisłoujście Fortress. The site was an area of
strategic importance as it gave control of ships moving into and out of Gdańsk.
The former Port of Gdańsk was situated on the Motława River, a few kilometers
away from the coast. This made Wisłoujście a key position shielding Gdańsk from
the sea and protecting the city and the port
from a surprise enemy attack. The strategic importance of the place was
quickly recognized - there may have been a look-out here during the rule of the
Pomeranian Dukes.
However, the first written record of a watchtower at
the site of today's fortress dates back to mid 14th century. This was a timber
structure, no wonder it was frequently destroyed. In 1433 it was burnt down by
the Hussites, while in 1465 it fell during a heavy storm raging in the Baltic.
The
first permanent structure was erected here
after the liberation of Gdańsk from Teutonic rule (1308-1454).
In 1482 a cylindrical tower
made of brick was erected, used for both defensive purposes and as a
lighthouse. At night fire would be lit on top of the tower showing ships the
way to the port. The tower on its own did not ensure sufficient protection in
view of the development of warfare, so during the Polish-Teutonic war woodwork
fortifications were put up around it between 1518 and 1521. The tower and the
surrounding fortifications made a core around which subsequent defensive
structures were built over the next decades, making the whole of the
Wisłoujście fortifications.
In 1562 the woodworks surrounding the tower were
replaced by a three-storey brick Crown with casemates. When a conflict broke
out in 1568 between the city of Gdańsk and the royal privateers, the latter
were fired on from Wisłoujście. To prevent similar events, the so-called
Karnkowski Constitution determining the relations between Gdańsk and the Polish
Respublica provides for the
commandant of the fortress to pledge allegiance to the Polish monarch.
Only a few years later, though, the Wisłoujście
Fortress again became a pocket of resistance against king Stephen Batory. In
1577 it was besieged by royal troops, but despite heavy damage and numerous
attempts it was not captured. Reconstruction and modernisation started shortly
afterwards.
The 16th century, especially its final part, was the
period of rapid development of firearms, the growing destructive capacity of
cannons and, consequently, modernisation of fortifications and the emergence of
new systems of defence. The need for such undertakings was generally
acknowledged. Józef Naronowicz-Naroński, the 17th century fortification
builder, says the following in his work on defence structures: "Never is a
castle or manor decorated by opulent palaces, costly edifices, gardens and
fountains as much as it is by a decent rampart, well formed and shaped by a
good engineer."
Gdańsk
seems to have acknowledged fairly soon the need to undertake the costly but
necessary work to ensure the city's security.
In the
1580s a four-bastion Fort Carré designed according to the New Italian school was
put up around the Crown, replacing the woodwork fortification. It had probably
been designed by the Flemish fortification builder Anton van Obberghen. The
bastions of the fort had casemates and emplacements from which one could
conduct artillery bombardment along the walls. The bastion walls were made of
brick and the corners were reinforced by stone blocks. Fire could be conducted
from bastion-emplaced cannons. In the casemates dates can be seen - 1586 and
1587 - indicating when the particular structures were completed. Fort Carré was
surrounded by moat filled with water. The entrance led across the moat through
a curtain wall between bastions.
The
entrance to the fortress was secured by gate and drawbridge. The course of the
entrance tunnel was oblique to the entrance axis to protect the inside of the
fort from being fired at. The date 1602 on the fort's portal is the date when
work in the fort was completed.
To shield the fort from direct attack the so-called
Eastern Bulwark was erected in 1624-1626, to the instructions of an Italian
expert Hieronimus Ferrero. It consisted of 5 earthwork bastions and a moat. A
similar Western Bulwark was built on the other bank of the Vistula, opposite
the Fortress. The fortifications of both bulwarks were constantly extended
throughout the 18th century.
The
years 1657-1658 mark the coupling of the Fortress fortifications with the
defence system of the city into a uniform system. In 1734, when the Polish king
Stanisław Leszczyński sought refuge in Gdańsk, the Fortress came under siege by
Russian and Saxonian troops. After a long siege the Fortress surrendered and
was manned by Saxonian troops, which stationed there until contribution money
was paid by the city of Gdańsk in 1736.
In 1793
Prussia takes control of Gdańsk. The Fortress itself, Nowy Port and Westerplatte
were strengthened even further during the Napoleonic wars. The Wisłoujście
Fortress finally lost its military significance after World War I as Gdańsk
became a demilitarised zone. It was used by yachting clubs until World War II.
The
structure destroyed during military operations of 1945 was partly restored in
the 1960s. Further reconstruction as well as plans to make Wisłoujście a
yachting centre were abandoned following the construction of an industrial
plant in its vicinity and due to the pollution it produced.
Since
1974 the Wisłoujście Fortress has been in the custody of the Historical Museum
of Gdańsk.
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