< Kaunas Fortress

Brief Historical Overview of Kaunas Fortress

Kaunas Fortress is a system of fortifications built in Kaunas and its environs in the period of 1882-1915 with the aim to protect the western border of the Russian Empire. The initial ideas about the fortification of Kaunas in the Russian Empire arose yet at the end of the 18th century after the third partition of the Republic of the Both Nations, but this became a critical concern after the 1812 war when the Napoleon’s Army managed to cross the Nemunas river near Kaunas without any difficulties. The construction of one of the first railroad tunnels in the Russian Empire and the opening of the branch of the railroad from Warsaw to Saint Petersburg increased the strategic importance of Kaunas even more. Thus, in 1879, when the relations between Russia and Germany worsened after Russo-Turkish War, the decision was taken to construct a first-class fortress in Kaunas.

The first general plan of the Fortress was made by the generals Konstantin Zverev, Nikolay Obruchev and Colonel Ivan Valberg. As originally planned, the Fortress was intended to include seven forts and nine defensive batteries, central entrenchments, casemate depots, barracks, administrative buildings and new roads next to all the fortifications. The construction work started in 1882 and continued until 1889. For the construction of the Fortress wide areas of land were bought in Freda, Aleksotas, Panemunė and the newly built city centre. The influence of the Fortress on the city constantly increased, therefore, the management started to raise a question concerning the separation of the Fortress district and turning the Fortress into an independent administrative unit with its military board.

The forts of the first construction stage were built according to the typical design of a Russian brick fort of 1879, thus, the first seven forts have a similar construction with the only difference in inner planning, integration into the surrounding relief, later renovations and some constructional elements. The fort has five angles with provisions for two independent positions – for infantry that is situated on the lower rampart and for artillery on the upper rampart of the fort. The artillery position is crossed by several traverses containing casemate shelters and ammunition depots. At the back of the fort there are the barracks connected with the ammunition depot and the central caponier by the central sally port. The central caponier, two half-caponiers and the gorges as well as the reverse caponier are meant for the defense of the trenches. Alongside all the perimeter of the fort, except the reverse part, there is a counterscarp wall, while at the reverse side there is an escarp wall connecting the facade of the barracks with the gunpowder depots in the right and the left wings.

Permanent batteries used to be built in-between adjacent forts. These are the fortified positions of heavy and light artillery covered from gunfire and assault located on the line of the fort circle, usually on the hills. The profile of a defensive battery corresponds with the fort profile only it is smaller. The defensive trench of the battery has no brick walls and the casemates consist of one or several depots-shelters and small galleries extended to the barbettes. Permanent batteries had to ensure the artillery force of the Fortress in defense.

In 1891, due to the lack of fortifications in the north-western part of the city, plans were made to construct the sector of Linkuva forts. This concept was based on S. Glinka-Janchevsky’s fort scheme. The sector consisted of the Eighth Fort, tenth battery and the left-wing lunette. Individual fortification groundwork was connected into an integral system. In the left flank of the sector the only moat of Kaunas Fortress was constructed. With the completion of the Linkuva fort Kaunas was completely enclosed by fortifications. The Eighth Fort became the most modern entrenchment in Kaunas. This particular fort was built using concrete, it contained spacious casemates calculated for the garrison of 1000 persons, the fort was equipped with electric power, sewerage and other engineering novelties.

The construction of the Ninth Fort started in 1903 according to the newest 1897 project of Professor K. Velička and it became the first fort of such a design in the Russian Empire. The fort has the form of trapezium and encompasses one infantry rampart. The barracks of the fort are two-stories high and have one half-caponier. The casemate buildings of the fort are made of concrete, the thickness of the wall is not less than 1.5 meters. The fort is equipped with two armour-plated watchtowers, electric power, sewerage, ventilation, the walls of cannon casemates are covered with cork in order to minimize the effect of firing noise to the garrison.

After the construction of the Ninth Fort the further development of Kaunas Fortress was halted. Till 1912, no new fortifications were built in Kaunas, however, the modernization of the old ones was actively in progress. The war of Russia with Japan suspended the development of all Russian forts for a meanwhile, however, this war allowed to gain much experience of the use of permanent fortifications and understand the advantages and disadvantages of all the decisions that had been made at the time. Thus, in 1908 the modernization project of the first six forts was prepared. Suggestions had been made to reinforce the casemates with the help of additional layer of concrete, to rebuild the gunpowder depots and prolong the sally ports so as to connect all the casemates into integral systems. Modernization work was launched in five initial forts, however, it was completed only in three of them.

In 1912, a new Fortress development plan was approved. This was due to the defensive strategy changes as far as the western boarder of the Russian Empire was concerned. Together with the Fortresses of Gardinas, Novogeorgijevsk, and Brest Kaunas became an important defense component of the western boarder. Along with the Fortress of Gardinas Kaunas Fortress had to control the strategic railroad restraining an enemy up to the end of mobilization of Vilnius territory, and in case of necessity effect offensive operations in the district as well as use the siege parks directed against Koenigsberg and other opponent fortresses.

The development plan called for new twelve forts, two fort groups and nine pivotal stations distanced two-four kilometers from the present forts. In such a way the circle of the Fortress expanded one and a half times – from 30 to 45 kilometers. In principle, new construction Projects and Events for the forts themselves and the casemate buildings were developed. The 1909 project of a typical fort by Professor Velička was taken as a model. The casemate constructions were designed in accordance with the results of Berezanė tests that were made in 1912. The work that had started in 1913 proceeded only two construction seasons and was completely terminated due to the start of the World War I. The forts of the new circle were used for agriculture, the casemates of Romainiai Fort were started to be covered with concrete.

During the period of mobilization, the Fortress construction work was speedy, however, the focus was on the construction of permanent emplacements and the sector of shelters. The forts the construction of which had not been finished yet were being prepared for defense: exits to unfinished sally ports were concreted, unplanned shelters, machine-gun positions and trench lines were built in the forts. The forts’ line was maximally prepared for defense. Settlements located in the district of the Fortress were also adjusted for defense and enrolled into supporting and defensive lines.

In 1915, after ten days assault the divisions of the German Kaiser’s Army captured Kaunas Fortress. Now the German Festung Kowna became the base of Kaiser’s forces. The hardware was dismantled and taken to Germany, explosives were removed from the ordnance, and machine-guns “Maxim” were adjusted to German cartridges. A successful attack of the German Army in 1915 pulled back the front line from Kaunas Fortress. The headquarters of the Eastern front was located in Kaunas.

The end of the World War I and Lithuania’s independence started a new page of the history of the Fortress. Kaunas Fortress fell under the jurisdiction of the new state army. However, out of a formerly strong fortress there remained only destroyed fortifications, all the armament was dismantled and trenches were filled with scrap-iron. The Fortress was considered acting for three years but the changed war conditions and the small Lithuanian Army could not use the heritage of the Russian Empire full-fledgedly. The barracks of the former 28th Division were occupied by the units of Lithuanian Army, the War School was established in Panemunė artillery military town. Good infrastructure of the city and numerous administrative buildings of the Fortress and the governor formed favorable conditions to designate Kaunas a temporary capital. Beside military purposes, part of the infrastructure of the Fortress was used for economic needs, the Fortress’ sparkle station became the radio of the Republic of Lithuania, and the gas chamber was installed in the gunpowder depot of the First Fort meant for execution of death penalties imposed by law. That was one of the first gas chambers in Europe. The Sixth and the Ninth Forts were used as prisons.

The occupation of Lithuania by German Nazis was one of the saddest stages of the history of the Fortress. The mass slaughter during the first days of the war took part in the Fourth and the Seventh Forts, the prisoner encampment for the soldiers of the Red Army was housed in the Sixth Fort and its environs. The most numerous murders took part in “1005 B factory” – the former Ninth Fort of Kaunas Fortress. In this concentration camp that carried not only local but also international importance Lithuanian, French, German, and Polish citizens (mostly Jews) were killed, in total about 50.000 people.

In 1944, due to the approaching front line attempts were made to fortify Kaunas. For this purpose entrenchments were built in the so-called railroad district of the fort, anti-tank trenches were being dug. The forts of the Fortress were also adjusted for defense. These actions were based on the direct order of Hitler “not to let capture the Nemunas at any price” that carried the name of “a line of catastrophe”. Nevertheless, the destiny of Kaunas was determined by the destruction of Minskas Hitlerite group and the total odds of the Soviet Army. On August 1, after 45 minutes of artillery alert, the soldiers of the third Belorussian front captured Kaunas and Kaunas Fortress. For the second time in history the most distinguished units contained the words “… of Kaunas” in their title. The Commander of the third Belorussian front General I. Chernyachovsky personally informed the Commander of the Soviet Army Joseph Stalin about the seizure of Kaunas.

Since 1944, the Fortress that formally did not exist devolved to the city and the Soviet Army. Since 1948, the headquarters of the paratroopers of the 7th Guard was established within the building of the command of the Fortress. The soldiers of the 108th paratroopers regiment of the Guard and of other units were deployed in the barracks of Kaunas garrison. The majority of forts were used as store-houses; technical squadron of air-defense regiment was located in the Fifth Fort. During the Soviet times the entrenchments of the Fortress were extensively used for economic activities. Partly this helped to ensure the protection of the entrenchments, however, the construction activity in the entrenchments was little regulated. As a result, the facades of the barracks were destroyed, the trenches filled up. Having survived the fire of the two World Wars, the Fortress was slowly falling down and the special status of a military object left little chances for architectural protection. Thus, the facades of the First, Second, Fifth and Sixth Forts, several permanent batteries and other constructions were disassembled. Much harm to the heritage of the Fortress was made during the years of intensive development. During the construction of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute the ground entrenchments of the third defensive sector were destroyed. The former Šančiai garrison church was burned in Šančiai military town.

After the withdrawal of the units of the Russian Army from the Republic of Lithuania the majority of forts were left derelict with the exception of the Ninth Fort that was turned into a museum and the Seventh Fort in the territory of which the companies of the 2nd Territorial Unit of the National Defense Volunteer Forces were located. In some objects are located different offices, some are absolutely unprotected, often they become a terrain for crimes or simply for waste.

The material from: V.Orlov „Kauno tvirtovės istorija 1882 – 1915“. Kaunas, 2007.