The fortifications of Warsaw

From a town’s defensive ramparts to the capital city’s tourist attraction.

What distinguished Warsaw from other cities in the Mazovia region was the fact that it had fortifications. Their construction incurred high costs, exceeding the budget of a young, developing town. That is why the investment was carried out in stages.

As early as the beginning of the fourteenth century, shortly after the town had been founded, the area of Warsaw was being encircled by wooden and earthen ramparts. However, it was soon decided to protect the city with a stone and brick defence wall. In the first stage, city gates were erected—on the northern side of the city (Nowomiejska Gate) and on the southern side (Krakowska Gate). Next, the north-western section of the wall was constructed, followed by the section on both sides of the Nowomiejska gate up to the Vistula embankment.

In order to complete the remaining sections of the fortifications in the late fourteenth century, the help of the Duke of Warsaw Janusz the Elder—who supported the residents by granting them a separate privilege—proved invaluable. That is when it became possible to complete the line of fortifications. In order to strengthen its defensive qualities, rectangular towers were placed every few dozen metres along the wall. The tallest one, situated in the north-eastern corner from the side of Vistula River, served as an observation point, a city watchtower, from where one could spot possible dangers—an approaching enemy or a fire in the city.

Second line of defensive wall

To further strengthen the protection, the Varsovians decided to build an additional second line of defensive wall, which was also realised in several stages—from the mid-fifteenth to the early sixteenth century.

Between the inner and outer fortifications, a Zwinger was created, which at various points was between 9 and 14 metres wide. The walls were additionally protected by a moat filled with water. The wall’s perimeter was 1,200 metres long and covered an area of 8.5 hectares, which could be compared to the area of about 12 football pitches.

In the mid-sixteenth century, the burghers extended the town’s northern gate into an elongated bastion (barbican) which extended beyond the wall line. This made it possible to defend the town by firing from the side, beyond the line of the wall.

Aside from their defensive function, the city walls served yet another role. They marked out the city’s area, beyond which the suburbs developed. The city gates were closed for the night, thus protecting Warsaw from people who could potentially start fires or threaten its inhabitants.

The guard on the defensive walls was kept by the residents themselves. Members of merchants’ and craftsmen’s guilds were responsible for defending selected sections. In the sixteenth century, a marksmen’s fraternity was also established as an association to improve the Varsovians’ shooting skills.

Swedish Deluge

The first test of Warsaw fortifications’ defensive possibilities took place as late as mid-seventeenth century. During the so-called Swedish Deluge, the Varsovians decided to surrender, but the walls were used the following year by the Swedes who occupied the city. At that time, as a result of considerable damage, the walls’ defensive qualities were severely compromised.

Following reconstruction, further serious damage to the walls occurred at the beginning of the eighteenth century, when the powers governing the city changed several times during the Northern War. Thereafter, Warsaw’s fortification quickly lost its defensive significance—the outdated and strained medieval walls provided little protection to the city.

Tenement houses on the Barbican walls

They were more often used by the residents of Warsaw, but for an altogether different purpose. Instead of keeping watch on the defensive walls, their construction was used to erect new houses. Over time, additional passageways were made in the walls and some parts of the fortifications (gates) were dismantled.

These actions further diminished the defensive properties of the already severely outdated fortification. Throughout the nineteenth century, the walls were disappearing behind newly erected houses. By the end of the nineteenth century, when they were obscured by tenement houses, the course of the walls was no longer very clear.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, enthusiasts of Warsaw’s past gradually began to remember the city’s former military structure. It was not until the 1930s, however, that the municipal authorities decided to uncover fragments of the ramparts, buying up and then demolishing several of the tenement houses attached to them.

Although the original plans were only partially realised, the walls have become an important tourist attraction and a place for walks for Varsovians.

War damage in the Old Town

The massive destruction in the Old Town during the Warsaw Uprising largely spared the city’s former fortifications. After the war, during the reconstruction of the Old Town, some sections of the walls were reconstructed, while preserving and protecting their original remains. However, it was decided against a full reconstruction, i.a. the city gates (except for the Barbican) and all the towers.

Today, the defensive walls—as part of Warsaw’s Old Town listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site—have become a permanent feature of the capital city’s landscape. They also testify to city’s former importance.

Exhibition inside the Barbican

The Barbican, whose silhouette has become one of Warsaw’s icons, now houses one of the branches of the Museum of Warsaw.

An exhibition Barbican and the Old Warsaw City Walls. A Story of a Historic Monument presenting its extraordinary history and the history of the city walls is shown only in the summer season, and is closed in the autumn and winter season.

Passing through the gate and along the defensive walls is free and possible all year round.