Town Walls in Goleniów

The town walls in Goleniów date from the 14th and 15th centuries. Only fragments have survived, built of stone and brick, and some of them are the result of reconstruction after the destruction of the Second World War.

The town's former fortifications

Construction of the fortifications began just after the town was chartered in 1268. By the middle of the 14th century Goleniów was surrounded by a stone and stone-and-brick wall with watch posts and towers and four gates: the Wolin, Szczecin, Stargard and Mill gates. In the second half of the 14th century and in the 15th century the walls were raised, the gates extended, three water gates were made on the harbour side and further towers were added. The Mill Gate was destroyed in 1761 during the Seven Years' War, the Szczecin Gate was demolished in 1836 and the Stargard Gate in 1864.

What has survived

The town authorities decided to preserve the walls in 1889, and the date of that decision was placed on one of the small turrets by the Wolin Gate. Fragments stand to this day on the bank of the Ina River, where the Gunpowder Tower and the Mint Tower rise, a section by Primary School No. 1, a fragment on Grunwaldzka Street with the Wolin Gate and a small turret with the town's coats of arms, a section on Barnima I Street, and a section by the Goleniów Stream and Planty Square.

Practical information

• The wall runs in several separate sections within the former Old Town, so it is easiest to see on a walk through the centre.
• Most of the surviving elements are concentrated by the Ina and on Grunwaldzka Street.