Kauno tvirtovės istorija, 1882-1915

LTŠi knyga supažindins skaitytoją su įdomiu ir paslaptingu Kauno istorijos reiškiniu - Kauno tvirtovės laikotarpiu. Trisdešimt treji tvirtovės metai turėjo didelės įtakos miesto raidai, o jos palikimas ir mūsų dienomis stebina miesto gyventojus, traukia užsienio turistus. Tačiau iki šiol nebuvo išleista nė vienos knygos, aprašančios Kauno tvirtovės istoriją bent bendrais bruožais. Šioje knygoje pateikiama informacija apie Kauno tvirtovės statybos etapus, organizacinę struktūrą, ginkluotę, Pirmojo pasaulinio karo įvykius 1914-1915 metais. Aprašyti arba bent paminėti visi tvirtovės gynybiniai ir negynybiniai elementai. Nemaža medžiagos dalis parašyta remiantis retais bibliografiniais šaltiniais, užsienio archyvų fondais, nepublikuotais rankraščiais bei privačių kolekcionierių sukaupta istorine informacija. Būtina pabrėžti, kad ši knyga nėra istoriko profesionalo darbas, todėl joje mažai dėmesio skirta istorinių įvykių analizei bei išvadoms. Tai labiau kraštotyrinio pobūdžio veikalas, kviečiantis pažinti ir mylėti savo miesto istoriją. Be to, šiame darbe pabandyta atkreipti profesionalių tyrėjų dėmesį į Kauno tvirtovės problematiką, pristatyti tvirtovę kaip unikalų kultūrinį miesto istorijos reiškinį, kurio vaidmuo bendrame kaunistikos kontekste kur kas platesnis už įtvirtinimų statybas bei karinius veiksmus. [Iš Įvado]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos istorija; Kaunas; Kariuomenė; Įtvirtinimai; Karas; The Lithuanian history; Kaunas; The Army; Fortifications; War.

ENKaunas 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 18 th 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 arc 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 arc 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 I89I, 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. GHnka-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 arc 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. [...]. [From the publication]