What is a strategic landscape?

The strategic landscape of Zamość fortress, which you are invited to see, is in fact a great scenography, which consists of the original elements connected to reconstructions and completions which more or less resemble the original fortifications. On the whole, even though the contemporary elements prevail, the scenery is not a FALSE ONE, and it is a rare example of a reclaimed and truthful “collection of images” of a huge bastion fortress from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, which dates back to the Renaissance times. It constitutes a frame and provides a foreground for the unique silhouette of a Renaissance town, surrounded by a border of massive bastions.

Zamość Fortress was the object of pride of the rulers from before 200-300 years ago. It now combines traces of the heritage of all modern fortifications: from the 16th century debut of bastion fortifications until their twilight in the second half of the 19th century in the face of the destructive power of modern cannons. The modernity of the era of steam and electricity wiped away as functionally useless bastion fortifications surrounding towns. Such a scenery as the one you will see in Zamość is now rarer than the scenery of a town surrounded by Renaissance walls. If we were to compare a Renaissance town to a precious stone, the ring of bastion fortifications around it would be the most beautiful frame for the stone. Zamość once again enters the elite club of European fortified cities such as Palma Nuova, Naarden, Heusden or Bourtange. The strategic landscape of Zamość, which you will see in a moment, is not like a nature reserve, nor is it a faithful reconstruction because such a reconstruction would require wiping away the authentic traces of many epochs and their contribution, including demolishing and eradicating some parts of the infrastructure. It is a huge, illuminating, fortified park, created on the historical outlines of fortified constructions. It comprises common lands and greens. The park alludes to the form of the bastion fortress from the times of peace, and Jan Paweł Lelewel’s watercolours constituted an unattainable model for it.

The reclaimed landscape is above all the property of Zamość inhabitants and it is handed over to them like an extraordinary green salon of history and contemporariness for their pride, joy and rest. It is also to arouse curiosity and to teach and fascinate tourists from home and abroad. All the elements which are parts of the green ring around Zamość, this huge fortified park, including benches, lampposts, signposts, etc., allude directly to the military identity of the town and to the epoch in which Zamość Fortress was acquiring the features which are most distinctive today, that is to the first part of the 19th century, with more dated references of course.

The signs, boards and information kiosks which you will see on your way will take you to a sequence of visual interiors and you will see a exposition of various “salons under the open sky”. Each of them, even though it belongs to the 21st century, has its own quaint chic and twist, “Ésprit du Corps” of the former fortress. Each of them seems to be saying:

Discover the mysteries of the fortress brought back to life and follow its trails!