The only surviving fortress of three that were built in Podgórze in the mid-19th century to protect the Vistula River and the road to Lwów, St. Benedict's Fort is one of only a few citadels of the 'Maximillion Tower' type left anywhere. An impressive two-storey brick artillery tower in the shape of a sixteen-sided polygon with a round interior yard, the fort has a total surface area of 1500 square metres. Atop the Krzemionki cliffs on Lasota Hill, it takes its name from nearby St. Benedict's Church, but is officially known as Fort 31 of the greater Kraków Fortress.

St. Benedict's Fort lost its usefulness in the 1890s and has since been used as Austrian military barracks and was even converted into apartments in the 1950s. After the failure of numerous projects to repurpose the fort, until recently it lay abandoned, adding mystique to one of Kraków's most surprising corners. Now covered in scaffolding, St. Benedict's Fort is getting a full facelift and will be adapted to become a kid-oriented branch of the Museum of Engineering & Technology.