page_title: Poznań Fortress
section_title: The perimeter forts and their present-day state
hierarchical_section_title: Poznań Fortress / The perimeter forts and their present-day state
caption_attribution_description: English: Fort Va in Poznan Polski: Fort Va w Poznaniu
context_page_description: Poznań Fortress, known in German as Festung Posen was a set of fortifications in the city of Poznań in western Poland, built under Prussian rule in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It represents the third largest system of its kind in Europe.
  The first set of fortifications was a tight defensive ring around central Poznań, including the main citadel called Fort Winiary. Construction of these fortifications began in 1828. Later, beginning in 1876, an outer defensive ring was built around the perimeter of the city, consisting chiefly of a series of "forts", which mostly still survive.
  The term Festung Posen was also used by the Nazi German occupiers during the Red Army's advance in the closing phases of the Second World War, to refer to Poznań's status as one of the "strongholds" which were to be defended at all costs. It fell in the Battle of Poznań, with Fort Winiary the last point of resistance.
context_section_description: The main forts in the outer ring are as follows:
  Fort I (Röder). Built 1878–1880, lies on ul. Książęca in Starołęka. In 1944 converted to a Focke-Wulf aircraft factory, with rail access from Poznan-Starołęka station. Still partly used industrially.
  Fort II (Stülpnagel). Built 1878–1882, lies on ul. Obodrzycka in Żegrze (Rataje). In 1944 converted to a Focke-Wulf factory, with rail connections and a siding.
  Fort III (Gröber). Built 1877–1881. Lies within the New Zoo. Barracks were to be converted into a dolphinarium; the roof was removed, but the project not completed.
  Fort IV (Hake). Built 1878–1882. Lies in Karolin, on ul. Bałtycka. Was on the site of an ammunitions factory during World War II, after which it was demolished. Some fragments remain.
  Fort V (Waldersee I). Built 1879–1883. Lies on ul. Lechicka, by Osiedle Wichrowe Wzgórze in Winogrady. Moats were roofed in World War II and used as ammunition stores (later filled in). Front caponier and other fragments survive.
  Fort VI (Tietzen). Built 1879–1883. Lies at the junction of ul. Lutycka and ul. Strzeszyńska in Jeżyce. Used by the military after 1945, survives in good condition.
  Fort VII (Colomb). Built 1876–1880 (modernized 1887–1888). Lies on Al. Polska in the Ogrody district. During World War II it was the first Nazi concentration camp set up on Polish territory. Up to 20,000 Poles, mostly from the Wielkopolska region, died there through execution, torture and harsh conditions. It is now a martyrs' museum.
  Fort VIII (Grolman). Built 1876–1882. Lies on ul. Grunwaldzka and ul. Bułgarska, next to the Lech Poznań football stadium.
  Fort IX (Brünneck). Built 1876–1880. Lies in Świerczewo (Wilda), on ul. Głazowa. Was fully roofed to provide a large storage area. Survives in good condition, partly used industrially (also contains a disused police car-park). The hills in the park around it are used by cyclists and other recreational vehicle drivers.
  The following are the intermediate forts:
  Fort Ia (Boyen). Built 1887–1890 in Minikowo. Moats partly contain water, due to damage to drainage pipes.
  Fort IIa (Thümen). Built 1887–1890 in Chartowo (Rataje). Restored and used by a nature protection group and scout groups. Moat partially filled.
  Fort IIIa (Prittwitz). Built 1887–1890 in Miłostowo. Steel shutters survive (of a kind not used in other forts). Adapted for use as a crematorium.
  Fort IVa (Waldersee II). Built 1878–1881 at Wilczy Młyn, now on ul. Lechicka. Damaged in World War II, later partially demolished. Maintained by scouting groups.
  Fort Va (Bonin). Built 1887–1890 in Piątkowo, now lies south of Osiedle Bolesława Chrobrego. Damaged when stormed by Russian troops in February 1945. Main water tank survived until recently, though has been taken illegally for scrap.
  Fort VIa (Stockhausen). Built 1879–1882 in Golęcin. Damaged in the war, then demolished. Fragments survive.
  Fort VIIa (Strotha). Built 1887–1890 in Marcelin. In industrial use.
  Fort VIIIa (Rohr). Built 1887–1890 in Górczyn (now near Osiedle Kopernika). Well maintained; has been used as a warehouse.
  Fort IXa (Witzleben). Built 1877–1880 in Dębiec. Partly demolished in 1941 during building of a railway. Most of the outer fence survives.
caption: Fort Va
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