European Walled City Gates and Towers

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

One of my favorite things to do in Europe is to visit the old walled cities of Europe.

Many of the walls have been torn down, but often it is possible to find an impressive gate remaining from the remnants of towns that had walls built around them to protect these settlements.

So, I thought I’d provide you some of our collection of pictures of the awesome gates that once restricted access to many of the cities of medieval Europe.

An Overview of Obsolete Walled Cities

A walled city is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. From ancient to modern times, they have been used to enclose settlements and provide protection for those living in the city.

Almost every town in medieval times that could built defensive walls did so—they were essential to survive the harsh times of yesteryear. Today, walled cities have become obsolete due to improved weapons and aircraft used in modern warfare.

The good news is that the cities that did not destroy their old walls, now usually are special places where you can enjoy a bygone era that survives in today’s modern world.

Here is a look at some of our favorites:

Amsterdam, Netherlands. Once there were many gates to this city, but they are long gone. The best remaining example is now a restaurant. It was named the Waag (weight house) and is located in Nieuwmart Square, Amsterdam.

**Waag House (Weighing House) Amsterdam, Netherlands**

Arnhem, Netherlands. There are no walls left here, but the Sabre Gate is huge and impressive. It was originally used for defensive purposes but later was used to guard prisoners and insane people. It probably was built around 1357.

Berlin, Germany. The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most famous landmarks in Europe. The gate was one of the 18 gates of the Old Berlin Customs Wall and built in 1730 or so. It has become a symbol of unity for the German people after the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989.

**The Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany**

Bordeaux, France. This gate is a little hidden, but well worth seeking out. This medieval gate is called the City Gate Cailhau and was built in the 15th century. The elegant gate was built to celebrate Charles VIII’s, King of France, victory in battle in 1495 (see the plaque picture below).

Brasov, Romania. This walled city had 5 gates but only one, Catherine’s Gate, remains today. Not only did it serve to protect the city, it was used to collect tolls for merchants to enter and sell their goods. The gate was built by the Tailors Guild in 1559.

Brugge, Belgium. There were many gates in the original walled city. Today 4 remain. They are: The Ezelpoort (Donkey Gate), which was built over a canal. The Kruispoort Gate is pictures below.

Not pictured are 2 other town gates. The Gentpoort gate is located on the old road to Ghent. The Smedenpoort is the blacksmiths gate and the current gate was finished in 1367. This gate shows many similarities with another surviving gate: the Ezelpoort.

**Poertoren Gun Powder Tower is on the edge of Lake Minnewater. It is just a nice photo and has no real significant historical and there is no access to this tower**

Carcassonne, France. Since the pre-Roman period, a fortified settlement has existed on the hill where Carcassonne now stands. It is an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town, with its massive defenses encircling the castle and the surrounding buildings, the narrow streets and its fine Gothic cathedral.

The walls have 53 towers and 5 barbicans (A barbican is a fortified outpost or gateway or any tower situated over a gate or bridge). There is a castle inside the walled city complete with a drawbridge. It is the largest walled city in Europe.

There are 2 main gate entrances to the city. They are the Narbonne Gate and the Aude Gate.

Cochem, Germany. This delightful small town has two really good gate towers.

Dubrovnik, Croatia. Dubrovnik is known as the pearl of the Adriatic. This walled city is considered to be among the great fortification systems of the Middle Ages. The walls are about 1.940 meters long and 25 meters high (82 feet) at some points. It has 17 towers, 5 bastions and 2 angular fortification and a fort that is all incorporated into the walls. There was even a moat around the land portions. The city at one time was defended by 120 cannons.

It had 4 gates. Pictured below is the Pile Gate.

**The Pile Gate, was one of 4 gate entrances to the Dubrovnik. It was a drawbridge gate.**

These fortifications were never breached, but diplomacy skills of its leaders rather than military might was probably the reason Dubrovnik never fell to its enemies, according to some historians. We have walked portions and the views are stunning.

Freiburg, Germany. Pictured below is the Schwabentor Watch Tower Gate. It is one of 2 remaining towers in the city. The other, the Martinstor is a 13 century gate tower. The city walls are gone.

**Frieburg, Germany Schwabentor Watch Tower Gate**

Heidelberg, Germany. The Heidelberg Bridge Tower guarded the bridge entrance to the old city of Heidelberg. The bridge is over the Necker River.

Kotor, Montenegro. This walled city still has its walls intact. There are 3 gate entrances to the city. Pictured below is the main gate, known as the Sea Gate and is located on the western side of the city.

Mainz, Germany. This walled city once had 34 gates and watch towers. Only 3 remain. They are: the Iron Tower, the Wood Tower and the Alexander Tower. The Iron tower was both a watch tower and a gate into the city.

Miltenberg, Germany. The Wurzburgtor appears in some written reports around 1379. This medieval gate tower is on the eastern edge of the old town of Miltenberg. Originally, it had a gun platform with battlements, as this side of the city was most at risk from attack.

**Wurzburgtor watch and gate entrance in Miltenburg, Germany**

Munich, Germany. The Karistor Gate was an entrance to the historic center of Munich.

Regensburg, Germany. The watch tower over the stone bridge that was once one of the few bridges to cross the Danube River, is a classic gate and watch tower.

**Old Gate entrance in Regensburg, Germany**

Riquewihr, France. This small village in Alsace had good walls and a good watch tower.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. This may be the best known walled city in Europe and is very popular as a tourist destination. Rothenburg is Germany’s best-preserved walled city. Part of the walls have covered walled walkways and can be walked and provide great views of the city. The wall is about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) long and covered, with several towers and entrances at the gates.

San Marino, San Marino. This tiny city is completely encircled by walls on 3 sides, since a sheer rock cliff natural barrier defends the area that is not walled.

Speyer, Germany. This huge watch tower gate is quite a contrast to the modern city that remains now. This once walled city had 68 towers guarding it. The most important watch tower still remains and at 188 feet, is one of the tallest defensive watch towers in all of Germany.

**The one remaining tower in Speyer, Germany**

Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn Estonia old town is a great place to visit. It is the oldest capital city in Northern Europe. With 1.9 km of its original city wall still standing, Tallinn has one of Europe’s best preserved medieval fortifications—it has cool gates and 20 defensive towers. A large part of what gives Old Town its fairytale charm is the system of walls and towers that surrounds it. The old town is divided into lower and upper towns—and it is just a charming, fun place to explore. We have been there 2 times and are ready to go back soon.

**Gate entrance to the old city Tallinn, Estonia**

Trier, Germany. This is the oldest gate on this list—the Porta Nigra. It was built during Roman times.

Trogir, Croatia. This old gate was built in the 17th century.

York, England. York has been defended by walls since Roman times. It has the most intact walls of any city in England. We walked some of the walls and it was great to see this old town from the large walls.

**Monk Gate York England. It was designed to be a self contained fortress. Today it has a Richard III Museum in the old fortress area.**

**Royal Coat of Arms on Peter Gate York, England**

Inside the walls, the York Cathedral is especially impressive and there are other medieval half-timbered buildings and areas that are neat to visit. The walls had 4 main gates which restricted entrance into the town, provided protection and were also used to collect tolls.

Valletta, Malta.

**This is one of the shear entrance gates to this fortress**

Wertheim, Germany. The Spitzer Turm (Pointed Tower) gate does not lean because of an architectural problem, but due to 800 years of flooding from the Main River. The Sprizer Turm is 115 feet tall. It dates back to the 1200s and was one of the original 18 watch towers that ringed this city.

My Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this look at some great landmarks which once were so important for protection of towns and villages that now have become relics of the past.

I can’t help it—these are just cool!

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Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

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