Kraków Defence Walls, Stare Miasto, Poland

The defences of Kraków date back to the 13th century and consisted of a wall with 39 towers and 8 gates, surrounded by a moat. The Wawel Castle defended one end of the town, and the Barbican the other. Today you can still see the Castle and the Barbican, and a small section of the wall by St Florian's Gate.

But the site of the old wall has been replaced by a garden, The Planty, that encircles the city. As you walk around the garden you can still see fragments of the walls and the gates.

User Reviews

Viorel Ciuna (3 years ago)
The renovated defensive wall of Krakow citadel, became one of the main touristic attraction of the town. Near this wall, the the artists expose their paints or different other art manufactures. It is a very nice place to be visited!

Torben Mauch (3 years ago)
Die Verteidigungsmauer ist eine schöne Abwechslung beim Besuch von Krakau. Allerdings sehr klein. Der Film zur Geschichte der Stadt ist leider sehr einfach. Das Highlight ist dann die Kapelle direkt oben im Florianstor UND die Aussicht auf die Florianska Straße. Nichts für Menschen mit Gehbehinderung. Eintritt angemessen.

Róbert Maták (3 years ago)
Just took photo and moved to the next thing

Ryszard P (4 years ago)
Po zniszczeniu miasta przez Tatarów w 1241 roku ustalono nowe granice miasta o wymiarach 800x700 metrów. Na początku XIV wieku system murów obronnych posiadał 8 bram wjazdowych: Rzeźniczą 1280 r. Grodzką 1298 r. Floriańską 1307 r. Sławkowską 1311 r. Mikołajską 1312 r. Szewską 1313 r. Wiślną 1314 r. i Nową 1328 r. Dodatkowo w 3 km. pasie murów wybudowano 47 baszt. Zabór austryjacki nakazał wyburzenie umocnień co trwało do 1814 roku. Dzisiaj idąc plantami możemy zaobserwować udostępniony obrys murów oraz baszt z ich ówczesną nazwą.

Emi Svemir (4 years ago)
Bestens gespendete 16 Zlots für Familien Eintrittskarte. Für die 16pln bekommt man Eintritt zu gleich 3 Monumente

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Photo from Flickr, copyright jl.cernadas

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Roman Walls of Lugo

Roman Walls of Lugo are an exceptional architectural, archaeological and constructive legacy of Roman engineering, dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The Walls are built of internal and external stone facings of slate with some granite, with a core filling of a conglomerate of slate slabs and worked stone pieces from Roman buildings, interlocked with lime mortar.

Their total length of 2117 m in the shape of an oblong rectangle occupies an area of 1.68 ha. Their height varies between 8 and 10 m, with a width of 4.2 m, reaching 7 m in some specific points. The walls still contain 85 external towers, 10 gates (five of which are original and five that were opened in modern times), four staircases and two ramps providing access to the walkway along the top of the walls, one of which is internal and the other external. Each tower contained access stairs leading from the intervallum to the wall walk of town wall, of which a total of 21 have been discovered to date.

The defences of Lugo are the most complete and best preserved example of Roman military architecture in the Western Roman Empire.

Despite the renovation work carried out, the walls conserve their original layout and the construction features associated with their defensive purpose, with walls, battlements, towers, fortifications, both modern and original gates and stairways, and a moat.

Since they were built, the walls have defined the layout and growth of the city, which was declared a Historical-Artistic Ensemble in 1973, forming a part of it and becoming an emblematic structure that can be freely accessed to walk along. The local inhabitants and visitors alike have used them as an area for enjoyment and as a part of urban life for centuries.

The fortifications were added to UNESCO"s World Heritage List in late 2000 and are a popular tourist attraction.

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