Toruń City Walls and Gates

Toruń's medieval city walls and gates are the best-preserved part of the town's fortifications: a long stretch of red-brick wall with towers and three Gothic gates running along the Vistula River. They form the famous riverside skyline of this UNESCO-listed city, and walking beneath them along the Philadelphia Boulevard is one of the nicest free things to do in Toruń. On the way you will pass the Leaning Tower and what is considered the oldest surviving section of town wall in Poland.

Where it is and how to get there

Toruń lies on the Vistula in north-central Poland, a little over two hours from Warsaw by Intercity train and about 180 km from Gdańsk via the A1 motorway. The walls line the southern edge of the Old Town along the river. From Toruń Miasto station it is about a 15-minute walk; from Toruń Główny, on the opposite bank, take a bus or tram across the bridge.

History of the fortifications

Work on the Old Town's brick walls began in the mid-13th century. The Old Town was ringed by a double wall with a moat, and even a third line on the west, while a single wall without a moat was enough on the river side. A section along Pod Krzywą Wieżą Street, dated to 1246–1262, is described as the oldest surviving stretch of town wall in Poland. The New Town, founded in 1264, had walls of its own.

Eight gates led into the Old Town and around 33 towers stood along the circuit. Barbicans were added in the 15th century, and around 1500 two corner towers were turned into artillery bastions. Earthen bastions were built outside the walls from 1629, and from 1818 the Prussians transformed Toruń into a fortress. Most of the medieval walls and gates were demolished in the 19th century.

What survives and what to see

• Bridge Gate (Brama Mostowa), built in 1432. It was first called the Ferry Gate, as it led to the river crossing; its current name recalls the first permanent wooden bridge over the Vistula, built in 1500. Look for the plaques in the passage marking the highest historic floods.
• Sailors' Gate (Brama Żeglarska), at the end of the street leading down from St. John's Cathedral.
• Monastery Gate (Brama Klasztorna), in the western part of the walls, near the Leaning Tower.
• Towers including the Leaning Tower, Dovecote (Gołębnik), Monstrance, Cat's Head (Koci Łeb), Crane (Żuraw) and Guardhouse (Wartownia), plus towers along Podmurna Street.
• A reconstructed wooden defensive gallery beside the Leaning Tower.

How to visit and is it worth it

Walk the full length of the riverside boulevard, from the Monastery Gate and Leaning Tower in the west to the Bridge Gate and the Teutonic Castle ruins in the east, then return through the narrow lanes of the Old Town. Allow 45 to 60 minutes. It is free, open at any hour, and easy with children. For a second stretch of fortifications, head to Podmurna Street, along the old boundary between the Old and New Towns.

If military history appeals, the story continues outside the center: between 1877 and 1914 the Prussians built a ring of forts about 22.5 km long around Toruń, and nearly 150 of some 200 structures survive. The Toruń Fortress Museum and Fort IV are good places to explore it.

Practical information (as of October 2026)

• Admission: free; the walls and gates can be viewed from outside at any time.
• Location: Philadelphia Boulevard (Bulwar Filadelfijski) and Pod Krzywą Wieżą Street along the river; Podmurna Street.
• Parking: the Old Town is a paid parking zone (Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.); the city recommends its Park&Ride car parks on Olimpijska and Dziewulskiego streets.

Nearby

Through the Sailors' Gate you reach St. John's Cathedral and then the Old Town Hall. The ruins of the Teutonic Castle lie at the eastern end of the boulevard, and the Leaning Tower at the western end.