Fort at Szalejów Górny

The fort at Szalejów Górny is the site of one of the few battles fought in the Kłodzko region in the 18th century, although nothing of the fort itself remains to be seen today.

Construction of the fort

The fort was built by Prussian troops at the turn of 1778 and 1779, during the War of the Bavarian Succession. It was a timber-and-earth structure, designed as an obstacle to hinder the enemy's march rather than as an independent stronghold capable of long defence.

The battle of 1779

On 17 January 1779 the fort was attacked by Austrian troops under the command of Field Marshal Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser. It was defended by a garrison of sixty men under the command of Captain Capellery. The defenders successfully delayed the assault and prevented the Austrians from quickly storming the nearby Kłodzko Fortress, although the fort itself ultimately capitulated. It was the only fort in the Kłodzko region, apart from the main fortresses, that was used in actual combat.

Echo in military history

The defence of the fort was described with recognition by Frederick II the Great himself in his memoirs. The episode also found its way into contemporary treatises on fortification and influenced later German defensive construction.

Current condition

No visible remains of the fort have survived. Its presumed location is a hill above the local cemetery in Szalejów Górny. The site is not signposted or prepared for visitors - it is a historical point with no physical structure to see.

Practical information

• Location: a hill above the cemetery in Szalejów Górny, Kłodzko County
• No surviving remains of the fort - the site has purely historical value
• What to expect: a view of the surrounding area, with no traces of the fortification; more on the region's military history can be found at the Kłodzko Fortress