Medieval Walls of Tarnów Trail
Town: Tarnów
restaurant Restaurant or bar nearby
The Medieval Walls of Tarnów is a marked urban tourist route. During the walk, we can explain to children how ancient cities looked like and the role fortifications played.
A helpful tool during the trip can be a city map attached at the end of the description, as well as tasks for young tourists.
In the past, cities were often attacked, so to protect themselves from invaders, cities were built on hills and surrounded by defensive walls. Tarnów is also a city founded on a hill. Defensive walls ran along the edge of the hill, below which there was a rampart, and then a water-filled moat. Do you know why the street that runs along the path of the old city walls is called Wałowa? Look at the map of Tarnów and try to mark the route of the former fortifications.
One could enter the city through gates.
Now, let's go and look for their traces!
Wielkie Schody (Great Stairs) is the former city gate. This was the road leading to the castle on Góra św. Marcina (St. Martin's Hill), and from there, further to Hungary.
Walking along Bernardyńska Street, we will quickly reach the Małe Schody (Small Stairs), a pleasant square with a model of the old Tarnów, where we can see how the walls were laid out.
Forteczna Street is a small, atmospheric street. Look for traces of the old wall - at the bottom, it is built of stones (glacial erratics), and at the top, it is made of red bricks. By passing through one of the two passages in the sloping wall, we will deviate from the trail and find ourselves on the picturesque Plac Węgierski (Hungarian Square) :).
Hungarian Square
Hungarian Square is a small square where a lot is happening. The central point is the monument of General Józef Bem - the most famous person from Tarnów, a hero of Poland and Hungary. ...
On Wąska Street, we will come across a significant stretch of walls and the Bima, which is the only visible remains of the 1630 synagogue.
To strengthen vulnerable areas - those where the terrain was flat and easier to access - the walls were doubled, meaning two lines of walls and towers were built. Such double walls ran along Wałowa Street.
Pay attention to the half-tower located on Basztowa Street. From the city side, it is open and not built up - this is to prevent the gunners stationed here from suffocating from gunpowder smoke during the defense of the city.
Look at the tower. Is it built straight? No, its walls are inclined - this slight incline caused projectiles and cannonballs to bounce off with less force. The inclination of the walls also reduced the impact force.
A little further along Wałowa Street, we will find the cozy Zakątek Króla Władysława Łokietka (King Władysław Łokietek's Nook).
At the intersection of Katedralna Street and Wałowa Street, there was another city gate - Brama Krakowska (Kraków Gate). Two towers rose on both sides of the gate. The entrance to the city was through massive wooden doors.
That's the end of searching for fragments of the walls, but along the route, apart from them, you will definitely find many other beautiful and interesting places - after all, the trail leads us through the beautiful old town of Tarnów. Below are a few photos to entice you:
Publish Date: 2021-06-07
Last Updated: 2022-06-16
More in the Region Tarnów (Tarnów)
Total Length 27 km
