Town’s fortifications

The creation of the fortification walls started in 1319. The walls which surrounded the town, were designed to protect the town from siege, but also to discipline the citizens. Construction works were initiated by the Wedel family. The wall replaced the former embankments. It was equipped with fortified towers. It was possible to enter the town only through three gates: the Kamienna [Stone] Gate, the Zamkowa [Castle] Gate and the Młyńska Gate. After the power was taken over by the Teutonic Order, and times became more dangerous because of the growing political conflict, the wall’s construction was improved. It was equipped with numerous embrasures and observation towers. Moreover, four additional fortified towers were built, the biggest of which, located in the north-eastern corner, was called “Kiek in Pommern” (“looking at Pomerania”). Since 1787, the town started to gradually disassemble the wall, and to sell its elements as building materials. Part of it was used to fill in one of the Rega River’s distributaries running across Świdwin. In 1814, the last gate ̶ the Młyńska Gate - was disassembled. Those elements of the wall which were part of the residential buildings and outbuildings, survived until the World War II. Fourteen meters of the wall have been preserved to date near the Rega River. These days, it is a fragment of the property’s fencing on 5a Nad Regą [Upon the Rega River]Street. This preserved fragment was built in Monk bond, on stone foundations and a wall base. It is 90 cm wide and 2 meters high.