Fortifications

City Walls of Wieluń

Wieluń is one of the twenty-five towns that were surrounded by defensive walls under Casimir the Great. Together with the Eagles' Nests castles it formed a belt of fortifications guarding the south-western border of the Crown, stretching from Kraków all the way to Ostrzeszów. The stone walls replaced older timber-and-earth fortifications after the great fire of 1335.

The walled circuit

The medieval ring ran for about 1,200–1,300 metres around an old town of 12 hectares, laid out as an irregular oval. The walls were built of local sandstone and capped with a brick parapet, rising 6–6.5 metres high. Outside, a moat and an earthwork rampart strengthened the defences. Originally the circuit had no towers — only two gates led into the town: the Kalisz Gate and the Kraków Gate. Towers such as the Prochownia were added in later centuries.

What has survived

On Podwale street you can still see the Kraków Gate, the only surviving town gate, the rebuilt Męczarnia tower and the ruins of the Prochownia tower, all linked by a stretch of wall. The gate has an odd history: after the old town hall was pulled down in the 19th century, a new one was attached to it, turning the Gothic gate into the town hall tower. Near the Reformed church stand the ruins of the Swawola tower, and by the collegiate church the foundations of the Kalisz Gate. The fortifications have been listed as a monument since 1948.

Practical information

The remains can be visited free of charge at any time along Podwale, Barycz and Królewska streets and the Nowy Rynek square. The town hall and the relics of Wieluń castle are nearby. It is worth remembering that on 1 September 1939 German air raids reduced the town centre to rubble, which makes the surviving walls one of the few tangible witnesses of the medieval town.