Paczków Gate in Ziębice

A tall, pale tower with a pointed brick cone rising above its battlements like a sharp cap – after the basilica, this is the most recognisable sight in Ziębice. The Paczków Gate dates from 1491 and is the only surviving gate of the medieval town. Its archway is still open today.

History of the fortifications

In 1336 Ziębice covered 35 hectares and was surrounded by town walls with five gates. It was then the seat of the Duchy of Ziębice, and that same year it was besieged by the Margrave of Moravia, the future Emperor Charles IV. In 1429 the Hussites destroyed the town and castle. What survives of the defences are sections of wall from the 13th–14th centuries and the tower of the Paczków Gate, named after the road to Paczków. From 1322 to 1521 Ziębice was the seat of a local Piast line, and in 1530 Duke Charles I moved his residence to Ząbkowice.

What to see

• The gate tower with a rendered shaft, stone quoins, narrow loopholes and battlements.
• The brick cone roof – tall and slender, visible from afar.
• The town coat of arms and decorative wall anchors on the façade.
• Sections of the town walls in rubble stone, including semicircular bastions and stretches of wall in the greenery near the gate.

Tripto tip

The best photo of the gate is from the market-square side, looking down the street, where the tower closes the view. A walk around the gate and along the surviving stretches of wall takes about half an hour; St George's Basilica is two or three minutes away.