Kraków S7 Expressway: A Threat to Fortress Heritage// Schnellstraße S7 in Krakau: Eine Bedrohung für das Kulturerbe der Festung

The planned S7 expressway between Kraków and Myślenice traverses a critical segment of the Fortress Kraków ring. This late nineteenth-century fortification system is among the largest and best-preserved in Central Europe. Three listed monuments are located directly within the investment corridor: Fort “Kosocice” (heritage register A-1295/M), Fort “Barycz” (A-1291/M), and Fort “Rajsko” (A-1140). These forts were constructed between 1881 and 1899. Fort “Swoszowice” is also situated within the potential impact zone.

The route variants currently under consideration directly conflict with these heritage assets. One variant passes in close proximity to Fort “Barycz,” cutting through the associated field fortification earthworks. Another, as indicated in official maps of the route variants shown below, proposes a tunnel directly beneath the hill on which Fort “Rajsko” stands. The potential impact of such a tunnel on the structural integrity of this monument has not, to OeGF’s knowledge, been publicly assessed.

Route variant (yellow dashed line indicates tunnel) passing directly beneath Fort “Rajsko.” Source: GDDKiA official documentation, 2025–2026.

A Dispute with a Longstanding History

This is not the first instance in which a major road project has posed a threat to Kraków’s southern landscape. In the 1970s, Professor Janusz Bogdanowski, a leading authority on landscape architecture and fortification systems, publicly warned against establishing a motorway corridor through this area. His arguments were disregarded, and the route remained in subsequent planning documents. The current S7 proposals closely correspond to the alignment proposed fifty years ago. At that time, the fortification ring had not been systematically studied, and the concept of cultural landscape had not yet been incorporated into Polish planning law.

The consequences of this earlier oversight are evident at Fort “Tonie,” where the northern bypass of Kraków (S52, completed in 2024) intersected the field fortification system of Battery 3/Tonie. The original earthworks were removed and replaced by a purpose-built viaduct measuring 36 meters in length and 81 meters in width, covered with up to 6 meters of imported soil, which supports a reconstruction of the earthworks. Official communications described this intervention as “a precedent-setting achievement on a European scale.”

OeGF’s Polish representative had documented and raised concerns about this collision publicly in December 2018 — including a detailed assessment, published on this website , predicting precisely the heritage losses that subsequently occurred. The Tonie case illustrates the outcome of procedurally “mitigated” loss: the authentic fabric has been destroyed, and only a simulacrum remains. The spatial relationships and original terrain of the fortification system have been irreversibly lost.

A Process Under Challenge

The S7 proceedings have attracted criticism from both professional and governmental stakeholders. Professor Andrzej Szarata, Rector of Kraków University of Technology, has publicly questioned the traffic forecasts, which are difficult to reconcile with demographic projections indicating a 34% population decline, and has criticized the failure to compare all route variants using a consistent methodology. The Mayor of Kraków has declared the southern variants unacceptable. The municipalities of Mogilany and Myślenice, along with several civic committees, have formally suspended participation in the working group, citing the absence of reliable documentation and errors identified in the study contract.

This is not a case of communities resisting necessary infrastructure; it is a case of elected authorities and technical experts demonstrating that the project’s analytical foundations are inadequate.

Under the ZRID procedure, special road investment legislation supersedes standard heritage protection statutes and renders conservation opinions non-binding. Consequently, these objections carry no formal weight. A monument may be listed and its significance formally recognized, yet its protection can still be overridden. In the context of EU cohesion funding, this situation raises questions regarding compliance with the Do No Significant Harm principle. These questions have not yet been publicly addressed.

OeGF’s Attempt to Participate

In March 2026, OeGF nominated its Polish representative, Dr.-Ing. Arch. Filip Suchoń, to the working group established to review the S7 route variants. The nomination was submitted in writing to the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA, the state agency responsible for the investment) in Warsaw. No response was received, and a formal refusal followed in May 2026, stating that participation is restricted to domestic stakeholders. OeGF will continue to monitor the situation and remains available to provide expert commentary through alternative channels.

Deutsche Zusammenfassung:
Die geplante S7-Schnellstraße zwischen Krakau und Myślenice durchquert ein bedeutendes Gebiet des historischen Festungsrings von Krakau, eines der größten und am besten erhaltenen Befestigungssysteme Mitteleuropas. Mehrere denkmalgeschützte Forts (u. a. „Kosocice“, „Barycz“ und „Rajsko“) liegen direkt im geplanten Trassenkorridor und wären durch verschiedene Varianten der Straße unmittelbar betroffen, etwa durch Eingriffe in Erdwerke oder einen möglichen Tunnel unter einem Fort.

Kritiker weisen darauf hin, dass ähnliche Eingriffe bereits beim Bau der Nordumfahrung (S52) zu erheblichen Verlusten am authentischen Bestand führten, insbesondere am Fort Tonie. Zudem wird die aktuelle Planung als methodisch unzureichend kritisiert: Verkehrsprognosen, Variantenvergleiche und Dokumentation seien nicht konsistent, und mehrere lokale sowie akademische Akteure haben sich deshalb aus dem Verfahren zurückgezogen oder es kritisiert.

Da im Rahmen des ZRID-Sondergesetzes Denkmalschutzgutachten nicht bindend sind, können kulturelle Schutzinteressen formal überstimmt werden, was auch im Hinblick auf EU-Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitsanforderungen problematisiert wird.
Eine Beteiligung der OeGF am Planungsprozess als internationale Expertenorganisation für die betroffenen Festungsbauwerke wurde abgelehnt.