General Information

St Florian’s Gate, or Florian Gate, is one of the best-known Polish Gothic towers, and a central point of Krakow’s Old Town. It was built around the 14th century as a rectangular Gothic tower of the so-called “wild stone” to be a part of the city fortifications against Turkish attack.

Additional Information

Florian Gate is the only city gate of the original eight built in the Middle Ages that was not dismantled during the 19th-century modernisation of Krakow. The adjoining city walls and two additional, smaller towers had been preserved and today host street displays of art available for purchase.

History: Highlights

The tower, first mentioned in 1307, had been built as part of a protective rampart around Krakow after the Tatar attack of 1241, which destroyed most of the city. At the height of its existence, the wall featured 47 watchtowers and eight gates. The gate named after St Florian became the main entryway to the Old Town.

History: Explained

The permit for the construction of new city defences featuring stone watchtowers, fortified gates and a moat was issued by Prince Leszek II the Black in 1285. The wall was connected by a long bridge to the Barbican, erected of brick on the other side of the moat. According to records, by 1473 there were 17 towers defending the city; a century later, there were 33.

The stagnant moat fed by the Rudawa River was a dump for illegal garbage and posed health concerns for the city. Such dire circumstances inspired Emperor Franz I of Austro-Hungary to order the dismantling of the city walls. However, on January 13, 1817, Professor Feliks Radwański of Jagiellonian University managed to convince the authorities of Krakow to legislate the partial preservation of the old fortifications—St Florian’s Gate and the adjoining barbican.

Architecture: Highlights

The Gate tower is 33.5 metres tall. The Baroque metal “helmet” that crowns the gate, constructed in 1660 and renovated in 1694, adds another metre to the height of the gate. The south face of St Florian’s Gate is adorned with an 18th-century bas-relief of St Florian. The tower’s north face bears a stone eagle that was carved in 1882 by Zygmunt Langman, based on a design by painter Jan Matejko.