Fort VI of the Warsaw Fortress

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Casemates full of water

The Fort VI of the Warsaw Fortress (also called Fort "Okecie") in the Warsaw district of Włochy belonged to the outer defensive perimeter of urban fortifications of the 19th century . It is used commercially today. It became known through the crash of a LOT passenger plane at this point in March 1980.

history

The facility was built in 1883 and served as a defense to the south and to secure the important road connection to Kraków running in the immediate vicinity . The connecting forts about two kilometers away were Fort V "Włochy" in the northwest and Fort VII "Zbarż" in the southeast . It was a Russian standard artillery fort of the time with a pentagonal floor plan, brick casemates and a dry trench , which was secured in the forehead area by a caponier . The total area of ​​the fort, including outside areas, was around 26 hectares.

The reinforcement of the fort's cover as a result of the explosive grenade crisis , which took place around 20 years after construction, was extensive - in contrast to other Warsaw forts. The caponier was now made of concrete, and a weir, which is rare in Warsaw, was built at the top. Further concrete elements were installed in the forehead and shoulder area. After 1909, during the razing of the Warsaw fortifications, caponiers and concrete parts were blown up.

In September 1939 the fort played no part in defending the city . From January to July 1941 a simple refuge for war orphans was operated here under the auspices of the Central Welfare Committee ( Rada Główna Opiekuńcza ). The fort was then temporarily used by Jerzy Strzałkowski's special unit “Jerzyki” ( Powstańcze Oddziały Specjalne “Jerzyki” ) of Polish underground fighters .

From the end of the war until 1999, the fort was operated by the Polish army. The basic structure of the complex - especially ramparts and moats - is well preserved. Due to damaged drainage ditches, the ditch was full and is now under water. As a result, the largely preserved casemates in the rear area have also overflowed. The fort is a listed building (registration number A-13 dated June 8, 1999).

  • Entrance to the commercial fort in summer 2010

  • Now used as an airport car park

  • Blasted, steel-reinforced concrete elements

  • View from the southeast over the defensive trench

Plane disaster

On March 14, 1980, the grounds of the fort became the scene of the crash of LOT flight 007 . The machine, which was about to land at the nearby Frédéric Chopin Airport , fell into the water-filled former defensive ditch on the north side of the fort. All occupants were killed. The trench had to be drained at short notice to salvage the wreckage and to carry out the reconstruction. It is now filled with water again. Today a memorial stone on the bank opposite the fort commemorates the accident. The Lipowczan Street, which runs along the north side of the fort, was named in 1990 after the captain of the crashed plane.

Use today

The fort is used by various traders. In the interior, simple warehouse and administration buildings were built after the war. Small logistics companies in particular have settled here because of the proximity to the airport. A parking lot for passengers with a shuttle service is also operated. Most of the fort's outdoor facilities ( glacis and rear area) are used today by allotment garden operators ( Rodzinne Ogrody Działkowe "Forty Leonidasa" - Warszawa Włochy ). In the northern part of the rear area there is a juvenile prison ( Schronisko dla Nieletnich - Warszawa Okęcie ) and on the east side of the ditch the cemetery of the Saint Francis parish in Włochy ( Parafia św. Francziska z Asyżu ) was laid out.

  • Cemetery of the Saint Franziska community

  • Entrance to the juvenile prison

  • Notice board of the allotment garden

  • Memorial to the victims of the plane crash

Web links

Commons : Fort VI of Warsaw Fortress  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 52 ° 11 '2.7 "  N , 20 ° 56" 47.3 "  E