Berecz Mátyás - Bujdosné Pap Györgyi - Petercsák Tivadar (szerk.): Végvár és mentalitás a kora újkori Európában - Studia Agriensia 31. (Eger, 2015)

CIESIELSKI, TOMASZ: Fortresses on the south-eastern borders of Poland in the 18th century

were 6 pounds, and the mortar - 26 pounds. Shortages of gunpowder and a relatively small number of cannonballs were a notorious problem15. Within the fortifications there was a settlement, which was granted town privileges in 1700, but it was so small that it was difficult to find quarters for the relatively small garrison. The infrastructure of the stronghold was modest too. It consisted of the commander’s quarters, a wooden arsenal, a small food store and a garrison church, completed in 1749, acting also as the parish church. As a result, the Kamieniec Gate was the main defensive facility of the fortress, housing also the guardhouse and a prison. All the fortifications were erected in the years 1692—1708, where the earth embankments were topped with breakstone. In the next 60 years only was no new defence facility erected, but also none of the existing ones got renovated. The reason was a permanent lack of money for the stronghold’s maintenance. Also, Okopy did not even have a commander, but only a head of the garrison instead. The troops in his charge consisted of 100—150 soldiers. The poor condition of the fortifications was the main deficiency of the fortress. Not maintained since 1708, they gradually decayed. In 1733, when a war for Polish succession broke out, most of the facilities in Okopy were in total disrepair, including the wooden elements (palisades, gates, bridges), the moats needed cleaning, deepening and banking. As a result, enemy soldiers were able not only climb into the fortress, but even ride on horseback into the stronghold. The commander of the Polish troops in Podolia Waclav Rzewuski believed that although the garrison had been strengthened with soldiers, their number reaching 345, the stronghold could stand the Russian siege for no more than three days, and that it could even as well fall within an hour. In view of this fact, he removed all the artillery from Okopy, and withdrew the infantry. However, the Russians did not conquer Okopy, and the fortifications survived through the war undamaged. After the war, in May 1736, the military garrison returned to Okopy. Yet, no renovation work was done, and in the next 30 years the palisades fell completely apart, as well as the earth embankments, and the moats practically got filled. The two stone gates were also falling into serious disrepair16. In 1768, the Okopy

15 Marcinek, R..: Inwentarze cekhauzu w Okopach Sw. Trójcy z I polowy XVIII w. „Zeszyty Nau- kowe Uniwersytetu Jagielloriskiego”. Prace Historyczne. part 92. p. 136-140.; Ciesielski, T: Armia koronna. pp. 551-552; idem: Artyleria wojsk Rzeczypospolitej. pp. 99-100.

16 Ciesielski, I: Armia koronna, pp. 550-551, 552-553.

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