St. Florian's Gate

St. Florian's Gate is a historical tower located in Kraków, Poland. It was first mentioned in 1307 and was built as part of the defensive rampart around the city after the Tatar attack of 1241. The construction of the new city defenses, including stone watchtowers, fortified gates, and a moat, was permitted by Prince Leszek II the Black in 1285. St. Florian's Gate became the main entryway to the Old Town and was connected to the circular barbican (Barbakan) on the other side of the moat via a bridge. The gate was manned by the Kraków Furriers Guild and was one of the 47 watchtowers and eight gates that defended the city at the height of its existence. In 1565-66, a municipal arsenal was built next to St. Florian's Gate.

The gate tower stands at 33.5 meters tall, with an additional meter added by the Baroque metal "helmet" that was constructed in 1660 and renovated in 1694. St. Florian's Gate is the only city gate of the original eight built in the Middle Ages that was not dismantled during the 19th-century modernization of Kraków. The adjoining city walls and two additional, smaller towers have been preserved and today, they host street displays of amateur art for purchase.

The south face of St. Florian's Gate is adorned with an 18th-century bas-relief of St. Florian, while the north face bears a stone eagle that was carved in 1882 by Zygmunt Langman based on a design by the painter Jan Matejko. Inside the gate, there is an altar with a late-Baroque copy of a classicist painting of the Piaskowa Madonna.

The Royal Road of Kraków begins at St. Florian's Gate, which is a magnificent terminating vista located at the northern end of the city. Throughout its history, this gate served as the main entrance for royalty, foreign dignitaries, and other distinguished guests, as well as being a site for grand parades and coronation processions. Upon entering through St. Florian's Gate, these visitors would travel up St. Florian's Street to the Main Market Square, and then continue up Castle Street to Wawel Castle.

However, by the early 19th century, the growing city had outgrown the old city walls, which had been in a state of disrepair for over a hundred years due to a lack of maintenance after the foreign Partitions of Poland. The stagnant moat, fed by the Rudawa River, had become a dump for illegal garbage, creating health concerns for the residents of Kraków. In light of these dire circumstances, Emperor Franz I of Austro-Hungary ordered the demolition of the city walls.

However, on January 13, 1817, Professor Feliks Radwański of Jagiellonian University managed to convince the Session of the Senate of the Republic of Kraków to legislate the partial preservation of the old fortifications, specifically St. Florian's Gate and the adjacent barbican.

Kraków, a city in Poland, had imposing medieval city walls that stood tall until the 19th century. The inner wall was incredibly sturdy, with a width of 2.4 meters and a height of 6 to 7 meters. A second, outer wall was positioned ten meters away from the inner wall, but it was lower in height. These walls were fortified by defensive towers that rose up to 10 meters tall. At the turn of the 19th century, before they were unfortunately demolished by the Austrian authorities, there were still 47 of these towers standing strong. Today, only three Gothic towers remain in all of Kraków, serving as reminders of the city's rich history. These towers are known as the Carpenters', Haberdashers', and Joiners' Towers, and they are connected to St. Florian's Gate by walls that stretch for several dozen meters.