Fortifications

Town Walls in Dobczyce

Above the Raba river in Dobczyce, on the hill of the former royal town, survive the remains of the medieval town walls. After 20th-century securing and conservation carried out at the beginning of the 21st century, they now serve as a tidy walking route towards the ruins of the royal castle.

The walls of a royal town

The fortifications were built in the 14th and 15th centuries. They formed an irregular rectangle about 700 metres long in total, with walls 1.5 m thick. Their crowns carried crenellations and arrow slits, a guard gallery ran along the wall, and keyhole loopholes allowed shooting under cover. They defended the royal town effectively until the Swedish Deluge, when artillery badly damaged them.

Decline and return

After the Deluge, Dobczyce's buildings began to move from the Old Town hill down to the valley, and the leftover walls were used as building material. Only in the 20th century were the surviving fragments secured, and at the beginning of the 21st century conservation works and a partial reconstruction followed. The result can be admired since 2013: the gate-cluster tower with a viewing platform, a section of the eastern wall and the relic of the town gate stand restored, and the surroundings of the fortifications have been reclaimed.

Practicalities

Enter from Kazimierza Wielkiego Street; next to it begins the path leading to the castle ruins, the town's main monument. The walk links both points into a single scenic loop above the Raba.