Uncovering secrets of Przemyśl Fortress. Relics found buried under waste and rubble

Fort XI A "Przy Krzyżu" near Ujkowice (Podkarpackie Voivodeship) is one of the defence structures of Przemyśl Fortress. It was built at the end of the 19th century. During the First World War, it was completely destroyed as a result of an explosion and artillery shelling.

Relics hunters have uncovered ruins of the lower levels of former barracks that were buried for over a century. Some of the construction elements and discovered artifacts were found as deep as six metres below the ground.

According to the Association of Przemyśl Fortress Municipalities, archeologists have discovered several dozens of items in the fort area. "In one of the rooms we have found a sapper tools warehouse: seven special shovels, pickaxes, bundles of wire used to build obstacles. Most of the artillery shells which we have found were squashed from explosions," chairman of the association Mirosław Majkowski told tvn24.pl.

In his opinion, the most interesting find was a mechanical ventilator, the only one that has been preserved in Przemyśl Fortress. "It is unique on a European scale. Very few deviced of this kind were at all produced, let alone installed. It's a real gem when it comes to technical artifacts," Majkowski said. He added that not many well-preserved items were found in the fortress, and yet the fan even included some moving parts.

Among other discoveries, Majkowski also lists elements of an artillery casemate - a special type of bunker used to firing at the enemy.

The finds have been taken to the Przemyśl Fortress Museum where they will be catalogued and undergo conservation works.

Majkowski also told tvn24.pl that Fort IX A "Przy Krzyżu" used to serve local residents as a makeshift landfill, as well as a source of getting steel and rubble. The ruins of the very building were covered with a layer of ground, and that's why only excavations works allowed to see the structure in its entirety. Although, its surroundings had been cleaned some time ago by the fans of the history of the fortress, the building was not the best choice when it comes to tourist destinations. Now, the lower parts of the structure, covered with the effects of military operations, now attracts history aficionados.

"The forts have been managed and secured by us for over a decade now, we open them to the tourists, and recently we've been extracting all movable artifacts that can still be restored," Mirosław Majkowski said. As an example, he mentioned last years' works at Fort I "Salis-Soglio" in Siedliska, during which two cannons with gunmetal barrels. "We hit the jackpot, a global-scale discovery, true rarity," he said.

Przemyśl Fortress is one of the largest fortifications of this kind in Europe. With its size and equipment, it resembled the famous Fort Douaumont near Verdun, France. The goal of the 19th-century architects of the fortress near Przemyśl was to surround the city with a tight cordon of defensive forts. During the First World War, it was used by the Austrian forces (which also included Polish soldiers) to defend themselves from the Russian army. The Russians managed to capture the fortress only after a long siege and capitulation of its defenders, who had blown up the crucial parts of the wall and weaponry shortly before surrendering. That was one of the reasons the large part of the structure fell into ruin.

Although many of the forts being part of the whole structure have been already opened to the tourists and largely examined, the fortress still keeps plenty of secrets. even though the works at Fort IX A have come to an end, further excavations are being already planned. However, in order to do that, money is needed, and there is a shortage at the moment. The plans include uncovering of an undergound corridor that stretches between the armoured turrets and defensive barracks.

Archeological works at Fort IX A were carried out on May 23-25 by Prince Kinsky 3rd Historic Galician Fort Artillery Regiment Association, Association of Przemyśl Fortress Municipalities, and Przemyśl Fortress Foundation. The project was supported by the head of the Przemyśl municipality, whereas preparation of the works was made possible thanks to a fortifications expert Tomasz Idzikowski.