Przemysl Noyau-Batteries/ Batterien

The noyau of Przemyśl was built in 1887. Its extent was 15 km and it consisted of 5 Noyau-Haupt-Werke (principal enceinte fort), 1 Noyau-Vorwerk (detached enceinte fort), 4 Schanzen (entrenchment), 10 Batterien (batteries) and Verbindungslinien (connecting entrenchments) between them. In the early 1890’ies the battery Nr. 20 was demolished, the layout of the noyau was modified and a new permanent fort (Nr. 20 Głęboka) was built. Except fort Nr. 20 Głęboka, all objects of the noyau were temporary fieldworks. A mixture of small shelters made out of stones and barracks with roofs constructed by convex corrugated sheets. Within the forts the barracks were initially made out of wood but were demolished after a few years because of deteriorated conditions. They were never to be rebuilt.

After 1900 the batteries numbering was changed and instead of using the term “Batterie” they were called “Noyau-Zwischenwerke (NZW)” thereafter.

Most of batteries were built in a very similar trapezoidal shape with 3 or 4 traverses. The traverse in the left flank usually contained an ammunition magazine, while the right side traverse was used as living quarter. Traverses in the front had small ammunition magazines and shelters inside. Some of batteries didn’t have a gorge rampart. An irregular layout had Battery 14 Jamki because it was connected with the Jamki gate.

Some batteries were used as German flak (20 mm and 88 mm) positons during WWII.

Battery 23 Bahn was demolished after 1945, battery 21 Wald was converted into a parking lot (only the front wall and the ditch are preserved). In some batteries the roofs of convex corrugated sheets of the living quarters collapsed because of corrosion. Some quarters, like in battery 19 Dynamit, were blown up by the Polish army after WWII.

2016 conservation activities are set at battery 19 Dynamit. At first the battery was cleared from its intense vegetation. As a second step the central traverse was excavated and is going to be reconstructed. At the same time the reconstruction of the parapet is in progress.

Deutsche Zusammenfassung:

 In der Festung Przemsyl wurde das 15 km lange Noyau im Jahre 1887 errichtet. Neben den Noyau- Hauptwerken gab es zehn Batterien. Die Batterien waren durchwegs feldmäßig ausgeführt mit kleineren Einbauten aus Stein. Hinsichtlich der Armierung siehe die Tabelle im englischsprachigen Abschnitt.

Nach 1900 wurde die Nummerierung und Bezeichnung der Batterien geändert. Sie hießen fortan Noyau-Zwischenwerke.

Der meist gleichförmige trapezartige Grundriss der Batterien bot Raum für 3-4 Hohltraversen für Munition und Unterkunft. Batterie 14 hatte einen abweichenden Grundriss, da es an das Jamki Tor anschloss.

Während des 2. Weltkrieges wurden einige k.u.k. Batterien als deutsche Flakstellungen verwendet. Nach 1945 wurden die Batterien teilweise gesprengt, verfielen oder erfuhren eine andere Nutzung. 2016 wurden an der Batterie 19 Freilegungsmaßnahmen durchgeführt.