Fort VIIA “Służewiec” stands as a silent sentinel. It whispers tales of a bygone era. This point of resistance in the outer ring of the Warsaw Fortress was built in the 1890s. It sits in the Służewiec Południowy neighborhood of Mokotów district.
What was its purpose? Fort VIIA “Służewiec” defended the road to Puławy, now Puławska Street. Fort VIIA “Służewiec” used modern methods in its construction. Concrete was used for the shelters of the fortification. This was more modern than other forts of the time.
In 1909, the fortress was liquidated. All the combat shelters of Fort VIIA “Służewiec” were blown up. But a central concrete storage shelter was spared. This magazine bunker remains.
After the war, the property was owned by the “Czołówka” Film Studio. They used it as their archives. Imagine film reels stacked within these very walls.
Fort VIIA “Służewiec” is listed in the register of monuments. It is located at al. Lotników 1. It was registered on January 27, 1992 under number 1478.
North of Fort VIIA “Służewiec,” the Służew Fort housing estate was built in the 1970s. The location of Fort VIIA “Służewiec” is near Dolinka Służewiecka and Aleja Lotników. It lies away from major transportation routes. Surrounded by greenery, few residents visit. They rarely know its history.
To reach Fort VIIA “Służewiec,” enter from Aleja Lotników. Today, a photographic studio and a car rental operate here. Imagine how this space has transformed over the decades.
This fort once sprawled across 26 hectares on an elevation. It sat between the Vistula Escarpment and the Służewiecki Stream valley. Its initial shape has been greatly altered. In 1909, the decision was made to liquidate the Warsaw Fortress. Combat shelters were blown up. The central concrete storage shelter was saved. Preserved are parts of the fortifications. These include neck barracks, ruins of shoulder caponiers and a frontal caponier. Foundations of a traditor and an icehouse in the rear also remain.
During World War II, Fort VIIA “Służewiec” served as a military and storage base. From 1972 to 1977, the Służew Fort estate was built north of the fort.
After the war, the film studio “Czołówka” took ownership of Fort VIIA “Służewiec”. It was entered into the register of monuments.
Fort VIIA “Służewiec” remains a little-known monument. Though close to Dolinka Służewiecka and Aleja Lotników, it is isolated. It waits quietly amid the bustle of the city.