Pyrzyce Gate in Stargard

The Pyrzyce Gate in Stargard is one of the four medieval entrance gates to the town that have survived to this day. It stands on Mieszka I Street and, together with the Collegiate Church of St Mary and the remaining defensive walls, has been recognised as a Historic Monument (pomnik historii).

From wall to gate

The beginnings of the gate are linked to the building of the town walls at the end of the 13th century, and the stone part, 6 metres high, belongs to that time. The brick superstructure, with three storeys above the passage, is somewhat younger and dates from 1439. The heritage register dates the building to the 13th century.

To enter the medieval town, under the eye of the guard, one had to pass through the front gate made up of two low, connected towers, then a brick tunnel called the throat passage, a drawbridge over the moat and an inner gate closed with a portcullis. The two-part foregate was rebuilt after a fire in 1666, and at the end of the 19th century it was finally demolished.

What the gate looks like

The base of the gate is square, with sides of 11 metres, and is built of fieldstones, and the three upper storeys are of brick. The crowning is formed by two gables joined by a gabled roof, and the passage has the shape of a pointed arch, closed from the outside by a heavily ironbound portcullis, of which the slot for lowering it has survived. On the third floor there is a defensive gallery with loopholes. The elevations are articulated by rows of blind arches, pointed, circular and semicircular, and the gable sections are decorated with side blind panels in the shape of shields.

After the Middle Ages

In the 1950s the gate was renovated and for a time housed the Stargard Town Museum, then the municipal branch of the PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society). The last thorough renovation was carried out in 1991-1993. Today the building is administered by the Archaeological and Historical Museum in Stargard, which carries out educational activities here: museum lessons and workshops.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Mieszka I 1a, Stargard.
• For the possibility of visiting the gate and the hours, ask at the Archaeological and Historical Museum in Stargard, which administers it.
• The gate is entered in the heritage register, and the walls and the collegiate church together form a Historic Monument (pomnik historii).

Nearby

• Collegiate Church of St Mary, Queen of the World - about 0.3 km.
• Mill Gate - about 0.7 km.
• Weavers' Tower - about 0.1 km.
• Red Sea Tower - about 0.2 km.
• Town Hall in Stargard - about 0.3 km.