Lontowa Tower in Kołobrzeg

Lontowa Tower on ul. Dubois is the only part of Kołobrzeg's medieval fortifications to survive intact. The Gothic brick tower is almost 18 metres high and stands in the town centre, by the former Prussian Square (today Słowiański Square). Since renovation work finished in 2025, it has housed a tourist information point and a small education room – a good place to begin exploring the town.

History: the tower that outlived the fortress

The tower was built in the 15th century (some sources say the 14th) as part of the Gothic town walls on the northern side. The walls were 1,570 metres long, and the tower bordered the moat. It survived the expansion of the bastioned fortress in the 17th and 18th centuries, the demolition of the walls in 1872, when the moats were also filled in, and the fighting for the town in 1945, in which it was only slightly damaged. It was entered in the heritage register in 1956.

After the war the interior was remodelled many times: it served as a hostel, a café, a tourist information office and the local branch of the PTTK tourist society. The PTTK moved out in 2012, the building passed to a private owner, and in 2019 the town decided to take it over.

Curiosities: a mistranslated name and the 1657 explosion

After 1945 the tower became known as the "Powder Tower" – the result of a mistranslation of its German name. The real powder tower stood elsewhere, near today's Katedralna and Rzeczna streets, and has not survived. On 3 May 1657, when 82 hundredweight (over 5 tonnes) of gunpowder was stored inside, it was struck by lightning. The blast destroyed nearby houses and damaged the collegiate church tower, which was left covered in cracks.

What to see

• The tower itself – rectangular plan, four storeys plus attic, a gabled red-tiled roof and a facade with five pilaster strips framing window niches.
• The south facade – narrow arrow slits instead of windows.
• The entrance portal with a bricked-up pointed arch, and a Neo-Gothic window on the ground floor.
• The tourist information point on the ground floor, with a sales desk.
• The multimedia room on the second floor (about 20 seats), used for talks, workshops and films on the town's history.

Tripto tips

Address: ul. Dubois 20. The information point is open Monday–Friday 8:00–16:00; you can see the tower from outside at any time. Allow 15–30 minutes. The interiors are small and not a museum, so treat the tower as a stop on a walk around the centre – together with the town hall, the basilica and a stroll along the Parsęta river.