Town Walls in Będzin

The town walls in Będzin were built in the 1360s on the orders of Casimir the Great. A short section has survived to this day, with two partly reconstructed towers on a rectangular plan. The oval shape of the former town, which covered about 7 hectares, can still be read in the layout of the streets.

Construction and fate of the walls

The building of the walls was recorded by Janko of Czarnków in his “Polish Chronicle” and by Jan Długosz. They stood on the site of earlier wooden fortifications and joined the walls of the royal castle. The fortifications had two gates: the Sławków (Kraków) Gate and the Bytom (Wrocław) Gate. In 1655 the walls were partly destroyed, and by 1823 only their south-eastern and eastern part remained. The gates have not survived.

What they looked like and what remains

The walls were built of quarry stone on lime mortar. They were about 1.8-1.9 metres thick, and the towers were spaced about every 60 metres. In 1952-1956 a small part of the walls was recreated, including one of the towers. In 2011 a section in the area of Modrzejowska and Zawale streets was rebuilt, following the medieval line. It is over 170 metres long, and its height with the crenellation reaches 7 metres at the highest point, by the upper tower.

Practical information

• The walls can be viewed from outside, walking along the former outline of the town; for details of entry and access it is best to ask the town office.
• Right next to it, about 400 m away, rises Będzin Castle, whose walls the town's old fortifications joined.