Upper Gate Tower in Głuchołazy

The stone tower on Plac Basztowy grew together with the town of Głuchołazy: at first it was 13 metres tall, in the 15th century it was raised to about 20, and around 1600 it gained a Renaissance parapet. Today it is the only surviving tower of the town walls and a viewpoint: climb 105 wooden steps and you can see the town and the Opawskie Mountains.

History: a tower in three layers

The walls of Głuchołazy – about 5 m high and 2 m thick – were built around 1350 on the initiative of Przecław of Pogorzela, Bishop of Wrocław. The Upper Gate Tower, guarding the northern entrance to the town, was built in the first half of the 14th century on a rectangular plan of 7.4 × 7.2 m; it was then about 13 m high, with a wooden defensive gallery and a dungeon on the lowest level. It was first recorded in 1418. After damage during the Hussite Wars, in the second half of the 15th century, the tower was raised to about 20 m and pierced with arrow slits. Its present shape dates from a rebuilding around 1600, when it received the Renaissance parapet. In 1902 a pointed brick spire was added. The walls were pulled down after the town fire of 1834, until around 1860 – the gate passage disappeared too, leaving the tower on its own.

What to look for

Look at the masonry: the tower is built of rough rubble stone, and on the north side you can find inscriptions scratched into the stone, one of them dated 1884. Higher up are the narrow 15th-century arrow slits and the crenellated parapet. According to the information board at the tower, the spire is topped by a gilded ball with a weathervane from the old town hall. Remains of the old defensive walls can still be seen on Curie-Skłodowskiej and Wita Stwosza streets.

Tripto tip

105 wooden steps lead up to the viewing terrace at about 25 m, with a panorama of Głuchołazy and the Opawskie Mountains. The tourist information centre is right next to the tower – ask there about current opening times, as some of the town's attractions were temporarily closed after the flood in autumn 2024. Allow 30 minutes for the tower itself. From Plac Basztowy it is a short walk to St Lawrence's Church, the oldest in town, and a little further to the neo-Gothic St Anne's Chapel on Parkowa Hill.