The city of Przemyśl once was of an extraordinary strategic and military importance. Since the 15th century, it has served as a guard and sentinel, taking any hostile challenge. In the Middle Ages the fortified city with a majestic castle stood at the crossroads and well fulfilled its mission: the protection of roads leading from east and north to south and west. When relations between Austria and Russia deteriorated in the middle of the 19th century, Przemyśl was the main center of defense in the eastern part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
During the First World War, the first siege of the fortress took place in 1914, when the 300,000 men-strong Russian army tried to break through in the direction of Krakow.
The fortress held a second siege until March 22, 1915, and was forced to surrender to the Russian army, only because there was a shortage of food and exhaustion. The fortress was handed over to the enemy after all weapons and ammunition depots were destroyed. On April 3, 1915, the destroyed fortress was recaptured by Austro-Hungarian troops. More than 115,000 soldiers were killed and wounded on both sides in the battles for the Przemyśl Fortress.
The destroyed forts of Przemyśl were declared a monument of defense architecture in 1968 and were included in the National Defense Program. Through the forts exists a 82 kilometers long tourist routes for hiking and biking.

(Maria Snaychuk, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 2021)