Red Sea Tower

The Red Sea Tower is the tallest defensive tower in Poland. Built at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, it has eight stories rising to a height of 34 meters. The lower part of the structure rests on a rectangular plan measuring 8 x 9 meters; the next section is cylindrical in shape and decorated with zendrówka bricks arranged in diamond patterns; and the topmost section is polygonal. The top is crowned with a brick spire shaped like a pyramid. The tower features numerous arrowslits. A prison dungeon was once located in its base.

The tower’s name refers to events from the Thirty Years’ War, when, according to legend, the structure was engulfed in a sea of blood. It is more likely, however, that the name derives from the rust-colored marshes at the foot of the tower.