The first fort of the Grodno fortress is situated close to Grodno in the area of the present-day village of Zagorany. It was constructed on a high ground according to the layout of the military engineer K. N. Dobrozhinsky.
The main engineering feature of the fort was that the breastwork was surrounded with a triangle moat. Thus it was harder for the enemies to attack the fort. The construction of the so-called coffer (a closed stone entry in a moat) was started for the defense but it wasn’t  finished by the outbreak of hostilities.
The first clashes with the German army took place here in the February of 1915. In September a re-offensive of the invaders occurred, consequently the fort had to be quitted and blown up by order of the Command.
There were fierce battles on the ruins of fort № 1 during the Great Patriotic War (on the Eastern front of WW2) in July 1944. Several companies of the Red Army held the terrain during the offensive of the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf". The defenders of the fort withstood the enemy fiercely while an officer heroically drew a fire upon himself to turn aside the blow. 40 soldiers were killed plus 30 were injured during the battle. A memorial was erected in memory of a brave feat of arms at the fort's walls.
The largest stronghold of the Grodno fortress under letter "B" was located close to the fort. Despite the explosion, it has remained in good condition. There is also a unique feature of the whole fortress. It is an observation post in the shape of a small concrete hillock with the frame of a bent rolling sheet. One theory is that the unusual construction was built by the Germans who were adapting forts for their defense needs.
The fort from the inside is a pile of concrete debris which damed all the passages. In common with several forts of the fortress, the first one has become overgrown with scenic stalactites, stalagmites and vegetation. Due to its good condition fort No 1 is especially popular among researchers and tourists.