Komorn Fortress
The Fortress Komarno is an ancient fortress at the confluence of the Danube and the Waag .
history
The fortress is located in today's urban area of Komorn on the left bank of the Danube, which has belonged to Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia ) since 1920 . It had great strategic importance in the past and was the largest fortress in what was then Austria-Hungary .
During the Turkish expansion in the 16th century, the city of Komorn came into the border area between the Habsburg and Ottoman empires . On the foundations of a medieval castle, construction of the so-called "old" fortress began in 1546 according to plans by the Italian builder Pietro Ferrabosco and the Alsatian Daniel Specklin . The fortress was built at the confluence of the Danube and Váh rivers and was intended to offer protection against the further advance of the Turks into Hungary, which was ruled by the Habsburgs . In 1526 the invasion of the Ottoman Empire began in Hungary. In the Battle of Mohács on August 29, 1526, the Hungarian army was defeated by the Turks . The Ottomans quickly invaded the unprotected land. In 1541 Ofen was occupied by the Turks.
The fortress proved itself when in 1594 the Ottomans tried unsuccessfully to take the city of Komorn with an army of 100,000 men. Between 1673 and 1683 the fortress was reinforced. The old fortress had five bastions and two inner courtyards, surrounded by casemate- like buildings that were intended to house the guards. The fortress was surrounded by a moat . And there was only one entrance to the fortress through the so-called Ferdinandtor.
After the Turks conquered the nearby Neuhäusel in 1663 , it was decided to build a "new" fortress in Komorn. The builder Franz Wymes was commissioned with the construction work ; the work was completed in 1673. The New Fortress had five bastions and was connected to the Old Fortress via the two eastern bastions. The main entrance was via the well-guarded Leopold Gate. The New Fortress was also surrounded by a wide moat. The top of the western bastion of the New Fortress bears the inscription: NEC ARTE, NEC MARTE (Eng. "Neither with cunning nor with force"). These words fully characterize the for the time so perfect, impregnable fortification complex. Indeed, the fortress of Komorn could never be captured by the Ottomans.
Later, the two fortresses were given the name " Citadel ".
In 1682 the fortress was badly damaged by floods. Emperor Leopold I ordered the restoration and the necessary repair work. In 1683 the Komorn fortress was besieged by Emmerich Thököly's army , but could not be captured by him. After the defeat of the Ottoman Army near Vienna in 1683, the fortress lost its strategic importance as a border bastion.
An earthquake in 1783, the epicenter of which was not far from the fortress, caused great damage to the fortress and thus sealed its fate. The generals of the time decided to give up the fortress as it was no longer worth repairing. Emperor Joseph II donated the fortress land to the city and the buildings were sold to the highest bidder in an auction in 1784.
In the Napoleonic Wars , the fortress gained new strategic importance and was again of interest for military purposes. In 1808 the fortress was rebuilt for the military. In 1810 a new barracks was built in one of the courtyards .
The Komorn Fortress played an important role in the revolution and the subsequent Hungarian War of Independence in 1848/1849 . The Komorn fortress, which was held by the Hungarian revolutionary troops under General Klapka , has been besieged several times. After the third battle for Komorn , Klapka's army was included. The last siege of Komorn began on July 13, 1849, and after several months the Hungarian garrison was forced to surrender. The fortress was handed over to the victorious Austrians on October 2, 1849.
By the end of the 19th century, the largest fortification system of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy was developed in Komorn and was fortified in 1914/1915 according to the general equipment draft laid down in peace. However, the fortress was not involved in any combat operations in the following years. At the beginning of January 1918 the kuk fortress of Komorn was officially closed. At the end of the First World War it no longer had any strategic importance.
After the collapse of the Danube monarchy , the fortress on the left bank of the Danube came under the Treaty of Trianon to the newly founded Czechoslovak Republic . Barracks for the Czecho-Slovak army were set up in the Komorn Fortress. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops in 1968, Red Army soldiers were billeted in the fortress . After the " Velvet Revolution " and the withdrawal of the Soviets, the fortress was used by the Army of the Slovak Republic between 1993 and 2003 .
In 2003, the old and new fortresses were bought by the city of Komorn in order to carry out appropriate reconstruction work and thus preserve the historical ambience and make the object accessible to the public.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ After the battle of Mohács, the Ottomans streamed into the country unhindered and occupied large areas of Hungary as far as the Danube and the Eifel . Afterwards these conquered areas were incorporated into the Ottoman Empire .
- ↑ See First Austrian Turkish War