Zinar Castle

Krakow could boast 7 gates and 47 towers built into the line of defensive walls surrounding the area of ​​today's Old Town. Only a small fragment has survived to this day.

Even in the 13th century, Krakow did not have any fortifications. It had its tragic consequences - the city was completely destroyed by the Tatar invasion. The city walls were built with breaks until the beginning of the 14th century. At the latest - at the end of the 15th century - the Barbican, also known as the Rondel, was erected.

Seven gates led to the city, which were closed at night: Rzeźnicza (later Mikołajska), Grodzka, Floriańska, Sławkowska, Szewska, Wiślna and Nowa . The Florian Gate has survived to this day, and the outline of the Butcher's Gate, which has become part of the buildings of the Dominican Sisters' convent in Gródek, has survived.

The Krakow fortifications consisted of a double wall and a moat. The inner wall was reinforced with 10-meter high towers. Each of them was handled and staffed during the siege by a specific guild of craftsmen, hence their names. Three towers have survived to the present day: Ciesielska, Stolarska and Pasamoników.

In later centuries, the condition of the city walls began to deteriorate systematically. Years of neglect and the lack of modernization of the fortifications meant that in the mid-17th century the city was unable to resist the attacks of the Swedish army. The ruined city walls began to be settled by the poorest population of Krakow, building temporary wooden houses. Malicious Cracovians even coined a couplet: "You don't need Muscovites, because they will collapse on their own / Come Francizy, you will see the rubble." At the beginning of the 19th century, as part of the city beautification, the authorities decided to demolish the city walls with gates and towers. We owe only the extraordinary determination of Senator Feliks Radwański to the salvation of a fragment of the fortifications, including the Florian Gate, the Barbican and three towers. Leaving at least some of them, he argued that they protect against winds and drafts, which would otherwise ... dangle the dresses of Krakow's sedate matrons. On the site of the former fortifications, a municipal park called the Planty was created, which still surrounds the historic center of the city.

The Carpenters' Tower - the oldest of the preserved towers. It was built around 1300 from limestone, and at the end of the 15th century a hexagonal superstructure was added. It is hidden almost entirely behind the building of the City Arsenal, which it defended. The carpenters' guild was responsible for its maintenance and defense.

The City Arsenal - Its location right here, within the defensive walls on the north side, was not accidental. It is here that the city has always faced the greatest danger due to the lack of natural impediments: river beds, ponds and swamps that formerly surrounded the city from other sides. Weapons and cannons were stored in the 16th-century one-story building that has survived to this day. Barrels with gunpowder were stored in deep cellars, and there was probably a bell foundry next to it, where ammunition and gun barrels were cast. The city arsenal came out unscathed from the action of demolishing the defensive walls at the turn of the 19th century. The city donated the building to prince Władysław Czartoryski for museum purposes. Currently, it houses the Ancient Art Gallery - part of the exhibition of the Princes Czartoryski Museum.

The Carpenters' Tower - Built in the 15th century, it is topped with a porch and a conical roof. It is worth paying attention to the characteristic arrowslits in the shape of a cross. The guild of carpenters and rope makers was responsible for its defense. It is worth paying attention to its facade, which is covered with an irregular frieze made of dark, heavily burnt brick. Perhaps it was supposed to make it difficult for the invaders to aim, thanks to the creation of a specific optical illusion. The shoemakers' guild, and later the striped guilds, was responsible for the defense of this tower. Haberdashers, later called schmuckers, used to make garment accessories - belts, belts, bumps and other elements of clothing - known today as haberdashery. In the event of a threat to the city, they also used weapons, as you can see.