THE FORTRESS YESTERDAY

Zamość Fortress, one of the largest fortresses in the First Republic of Poland and then in the Duchy of Warsaw and in the Congress Kingdom of Poland was built in 1579-1618 to defend a town founded by Hetman Jan Zamoyski in 1580. Started in 1586 and completed in 1618, the construction of bastioned fortifications was based on Bernardo Morando’s design.

The fortifications were modernized several times by the following outstanding military engineers:

• Andrea dell’Aqua in 1618-23
• Jan Michał Link in 1687-93

Modernization works lasted till 1856.

In 1866 -1868, on the order of Tsar Alexander II, the fortress was closed down and most of its fortifications were demolished. Their preserved remains have been maintained (with some elements being supplemented) since the 1930s till the present day.

In the 19th century and probably earlier the fortress was inseparably connected with greenery, whose purpose was to decorate and camouflage. In 1817-31 there was a garden in Zamość called “walking English garden” of colonel Jodko, with baths, a bar, summer houses and a fish pond. In 1822 Zamość Fortress impressed visitors with “flower gardens, embankments and the moat overgrown with greenery”. In 1833 200 meters from the slopes, a new fortification circle was made and part of the area was used for making gardens for commanders of the particular units of fortress garrison. Military commanders used mostly the areas located in the south-western foreground, a military home farm in the west and the orchard, whose border was Lublin road, Sadowa Street and the Łabuńka River. Commanders’ garden was in ruin at the beginning of the 20th century. Its planned reconstruction was prevented by the outbreak of WW I and remains of the garden were later referred to as “Małpi Gaj”. In 1884 an English park called “Andrianowski” was set up in front of the palace on the initiative of General Andrianow. After buying tickets, visitors entered the park through a wooden gate built in 1890 in Swiss style. At the beginning of the 1920s the neglected park was turned into the Town Park in accordance with Walerian Kronenberg’s design. Since many trees were cut down, the view of the palace was no longer obstructed. The author of the park had prepared and implemented over 300 designs of Polish gardens and parks, such as the park near the Służewiec horse race track and the park near the square of Agrykola exhibition. In 2008 Kronenberg’s park was ranked 5th in the competition for the most beautiful parks in Europe.

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  On the plan, two- or three-row plantings on fortification embankments were drawn out by green color. They were realized by means of black poplars of Italian strain.

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  With underlined gardens realized and anticipated to realization on the fortress foreground. On embankments plantings of trees and bushes are indicated.

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