Opatów Gate in Sandomierz

Of the four gates that once led into Sandomierz, only this one survives. The Gothic Opatów Gate, built under King Casimir the Great, is now the entrance to the Old Town and one of the best viewpoints in the city: from the terrace at the top you can see the Old Town roofs, the Vistula and the Sandomierz Basin. In 2013 and 2014 more than 100,000 people a year climbed it.

History: the gate of Casimir the Great

The gate was built in the second half of the 14th century as part of the town walls funded by Casimir the Great. It was made of brick, with dressed stone at the corners. In the 16th century a Sandomierz physician, Stanisław Bartolon, paid for its Renaissance attic – a decorative crown that gave the Gothic tower its distinctive silhouette. The gate has kept this form ever since.

The other gates – Zawichost, Lublin and Kraków – have disappeared, and of the two smaller posterns only the Dominican one, known as the Needle's Eye, remains. On 8 February 1863, during the January Uprising against Russian rule, insurgents defeated at Słupcza tried to make a stand on a barricade built in the gate, but the Cossacks took it at the first attack. In 2017 Sandomierz's historic centre, including the gate, was declared a Monument of History, Poland's highest heritage designation.

What to see

• The gate passage with its stone arches and traces of the old defensive mechanisms.
• The Renaissance attic – best seen from ul. Opatowska on the outer side of the gate.
• The viewing terrace at the top, with a panorama of the Old Town, the cathedral, the Vistula and the Pepper Hills.
• The Needle's Eye – the surviving postern in the walls, a few minutes' walk away.

Interesting facts

In 1979 the singer Anna Jantar filmed the video for her hit "Nic nie może wiecznie trwać" ("Nothing Can Last Forever") in front of the Opatów Gate. For years the gate was run by the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK), but in 2015, after a contract dispute, a court returned it to the city. In 2014 it had 114,676 visitors, which shows how firmly it belongs on every Sandomierz itinerary.

Tripto tip

The gate stands at ul. Opatowska 40, on the northern edge of the Old Town. From 14 September to 19 April it is open daily 9:00–17:00, with last entry at 16:30 on weekdays and 16:15 at weekends. Summer hours are longer – check them on the gate's website or by phone on +48 668 713 522; tickets can also be bought online. The terrace is reached by narrow stairs, worth bearing in mind if you are visiting with small children or anyone with limited mobility. Climb it at the start of your walk: from above it is easier to get your bearings, and then you can stroll down ul. Opatowska to the Market Square and on towards the cathedral and Queen Jadwiga's Gorge. The gate itself takes 30–45 minutes.