Racibórz Town Walls and Prison Tower

Only fragments survive of the walls that for centuries surrounded Racibórz's Old Town – but one of them has become the town's emblem. The Renaissance Prison Tower of about 1574, with its attic and four corner turrets, features in Racibórz's logo, on a Polish Post stamp and on a commemorative coin. A walk along the line of the old fortifications is a good way to picture this medieval town on the Oder.

History: from timber barriers to a brick ring

The first defences appeared in the 13th century as the town took shape: a moat, timber barriers and gates. After the Moravians burned Racibórz in 1255, Duke Władysław of Opole extended them southwards. The first documented mention of walls dates from 1299, when Duke Przemysław of Racibórz ordered the town reeve to build them and cover the costs. In the 14th century the walls were extended and surrounded by a moat, and in 1666 they were modernised in fear of a Tatar raid. In the 17th century the circuit was reinforced by nine towers.

The walls are estimated to have been about 1.8 km long, enclosing 20 hectares. From the inside they stood only 1.9–2.2 m high, from the outside 3.8–4.7 m, and in places as much as 9 m; the moat was about 3.7 m deep. Around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries the fortifications began to be dismantled: the Great Gate was removed in 1818, and in 1828 the unstable Oder Gate, which led to the Piast castle, was pulled down.

What to see

• The Prison Tower – built after a town fire on a rectangular plan and probably open towards the town at first. Today it has four walls, a strongly profiled cornice at three-quarters of its height, an attic with keyhole gunports above it and four square corner turrets. A section of wall survives next to it.
• Wall fragments on Basztowa, Batorego, Drzymały, Lecznicza and Drewniana streets – brick facings with a core of rubble and fieldstone set in lime mortar.
• Traces of the old gates – the Oder Gate at the end of ul. Odrzańska, the Great Gate on ul. Długa and the later New Gate; the best-defended stretch, from the New Gate to the Starowiejska Gate, had six towers and three bastions.

Did you know

The tower served not only the defenders but also as a lock-up: according to surviving accounts, prisoners were held in a "cold room" strewn with straw, and in the 17th century master butchers accused of overcharging were reportedly kept here. In 2007 the National Bank of Poland issued a 2-złoty coin showing the tower in its Historic Towns of Poland series, and in 2008, for Racibórz's 900th anniversary, Polish Post issued a stamp featuring the tower and the Marian column from the market square. The last town gate, the so-called Water Gate, was built only in 1835 – it brought water from the Psina for fighting fires and was opened on Thursdays, which were market days.

Tripto tips

• Walk: start at the tower, follow Basztowa and Drzymały streets, then cross the market square to the Piast Castle with its Gothic Chapel of St Thomas Becket – allow 1–1.5 hours.
• Inside the tower: the reopening of the tower to visitors was initiated by the local association Drengowie znad Górnej Odry – check opening dates at the tourist information office; the exterior can be seen at any time.
• Access: the wall fragments are freely accessible and free of charge.