Vaberget Fortress
Encyclopedia
Vaberget Fortress is a fortress
located five kilometers west of Karlsborg Fortress
, by lake Vättern
, in Västergötland
, Sweden
. The southern fort at Vaberget Fortress was the first fort in the world that fully used the protection provided by the bedrock itself by having all of its functions embedded in the mountain.
began in 1819 but was not in a defensible state until around 1870 and was not completely finished until 1907. During this time, artillery
technology was rapidly evolving, and by 1861 it was realised that the nearby mountain Vaberget could now be used by long range artillery to fire straight into Karlsborg Fortress. It was thus necessary to build a satellite fortress at Vaberget to protect the main fortress. It took nearly 20 years before the first plans were drawn in 1879 and 1883, and funding for the project was granted by the Swedish Riksdag
of 1888.
Work started in 1889 at the main fort located on the southern part of the mountain and in 1899 at the smaller fort on the northern part. The whole fortress was blasted into the bedrock, having all functions embedded in the mountain, which was a completely new technique not only in Sweden but in all of Europe. Other European fortresses preceding Vaberget Fortress had been built into mountains, but those were concrete structures placed in excavated mountain shafts, and were not using the bedrock itself as the main structure. The start of construction for Vaberget Fortress preceded the two Swiss forts Fort Bühl and Fort Bäzberg (part of the National Redoubt
), also completely embedded in the mountain, by a few months. Another new technique was the use of artillery in turrets on top of the forts that could be rotated 360 degrees, an idea conceived by Belgian fortifications engineer Henri Alexis Brialmont
.
The main armament at the southern fort consisted of four 12 cm pieces and eight 6 cm pieces, all in in armoured turrets
, accompanied by 14 caponier
cannon that protected the ditch
that surrounded the fort. The northern fort had a main armament six 6 cm pieces in armoured turrets, with eight caponier cannon for close defence. In addition to these two forts, six permanent batteries of four pieces each—either 12 cm cannon or 16 cm howitzers—were constructed on top of the mountain. By 1910, three (of the originally planned six) infantry bunker
s (skansar, redoubts) with two 7.5 cm cannon each had been constructed at the foot of the mountain.
The construction of the fortress was completed by 1902, but suffered various problems such as a lack of ventilation, heat sources and power supply. Damp damage due to water leaking in through the mountain—a consequence of blasting with dynamite as well as the bedrock type—led to the condemnation of the southern fort as unhealthy to reside in, in 1912. The problem was not solved until 1944 by the addition of a metal roof, 17 years after the fort had been decommissioned in December 1927, though it was still in use as a storage facility.
Even though Vaberget Fortress came to little use as a fortress, the experiences from the construction were of great use when the much larger Boden Fortress
as well as the coastal defence fort Fort Oscar II in Gothenburg
were constructed in the early years of the 20th century.
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
located five kilometers west of Karlsborg Fortress
Karlsborg Fortress
Karlsborg Fortress is situated on the Vannäs peninsula in Karlsborg by lake Vättern, the province of Västergötland, Sweden. Construction on the fortress began 1819 to realize the so-called central defense idea adopted by the Swedish military after the Finnish and Napoleonic Wars...
, by lake Vättern
Vättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
, in Västergötland
Västergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The southern fort at Vaberget Fortress was the first fort in the world that fully used the protection provided by the bedrock itself by having all of its functions embedded in the mountain.
History
Construction of nearby Karlsborg FortressKarlsborg Fortress
Karlsborg Fortress is situated on the Vannäs peninsula in Karlsborg by lake Vättern, the province of Västergötland, Sweden. Construction on the fortress began 1819 to realize the so-called central defense idea adopted by the Swedish military after the Finnish and Napoleonic Wars...
began in 1819 but was not in a defensible state until around 1870 and was not completely finished until 1907. During this time, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
technology was rapidly evolving, and by 1861 it was realised that the nearby mountain Vaberget could now be used by long range artillery to fire straight into Karlsborg Fortress. It was thus necessary to build a satellite fortress at Vaberget to protect the main fortress. It took nearly 20 years before the first plans were drawn in 1879 and 1883, and funding for the project was granted by the Swedish Riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
of 1888.
Work started in 1889 at the main fort located on the southern part of the mountain and in 1899 at the smaller fort on the northern part. The whole fortress was blasted into the bedrock, having all functions embedded in the mountain, which was a completely new technique not only in Sweden but in all of Europe. Other European fortresses preceding Vaberget Fortress had been built into mountains, but those were concrete structures placed in excavated mountain shafts, and were not using the bedrock itself as the main structure. The start of construction for Vaberget Fortress preceded the two Swiss forts Fort Bühl and Fort Bäzberg (part of the National Redoubt
National Redoubt (Switzerland)
The Swiss National Redoubt was a defensive plan developed by the Swiss government beginning in the 1880s to respond to foreign invasion. In the opening years of World War II the plan was expanded and refined to deal with a potential German invasion. The German plan, Operation Tannenbaum, was real,...
), also completely embedded in the mountain, by a few months. Another new technique was the use of artillery in turrets on top of the forts that could be rotated 360 degrees, an idea conceived by Belgian fortifications engineer Henri Alexis Brialmont
Henri Alexis Brialmont
Henri Alexis Brialmont was a Dutch-born Belgian military engineer. He was one of the leading fortifications engineers in the 19th century....
.
The main armament at the southern fort consisted of four 12 cm pieces and eight 6 cm pieces, all in in armoured turrets
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
, accompanied by 14 caponier
Caponier
A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" - which strictly means capon-cote i.e. chickenhouse.The fire coming from the feature A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" -...
cannon that protected the ditch
Ditch (fortification)
A ditch in military engineering is an obstacle, designed to slow down or break up an attacking force, while a trench is intended to provide cover to the defenders...
that surrounded the fort. The northern fort had a main armament six 6 cm pieces in armoured turrets, with eight caponier cannon for close defence. In addition to these two forts, six permanent batteries of four pieces each—either 12 cm cannon or 16 cm howitzers—were constructed on top of the mountain. By 1910, three (of the originally planned six) infantry bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
s (skansar, redoubts) with two 7.5 cm cannon each had been constructed at the foot of the mountain.
The construction of the fortress was completed by 1902, but suffered various problems such as a lack of ventilation, heat sources and power supply. Damp damage due to water leaking in through the mountain—a consequence of blasting with dynamite as well as the bedrock type—led to the condemnation of the southern fort as unhealthy to reside in, in 1912. The problem was not solved until 1944 by the addition of a metal roof, 17 years after the fort had been decommissioned in December 1927, though it was still in use as a storage facility.
Even though Vaberget Fortress came to little use as a fortress, the experiences from the construction were of great use when the much larger Boden Fortress
Boden Fortress
Boden Fortress is a modern fortress consisting of several major and minor forts and fortifications surrounding the city of Boden, Norrbotten, in northern Sweden. The fortress was originally intended to stop or delay attacks from the east or coastal assaults, which at the time of construction meant...
as well as the coastal defence fort Fort Oscar II in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
were constructed in the early years of the 20th century.