The town walls

Gryfino has held municipal rights since the second half of the 13th century. The town’s rapid growth during this period led to the decision to build city fortifications. The first set, constructed in 1284, consisted of double ramparts made of wood and earth. Subsequently, construction began on stone-and-brick fortifications. Work on the fortifications was completed in the 15th century. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, it was decided to reinforce the gates (parapets were added).

Upon completion of all work, the full line of Gryfino’s fortifications consisted of 32 rectangular watchtowers, projecting slightly beyond the line of the walls and spaced 20–25 meters apart, as well as one cylindrical tower. Two gates led into the town—the Szczecin Gate, located on the northern side, and the Bańska Gate, providing access from the south. Additionally, three water gates were built on the side facing the Oder River. The town’s security was further enhanced by a moat surrounding the walls, fed by the nearby river. Gryfino’s fortifications survived until the 17th century. In 1640, Swedish troops destroyed the walls on the Odra River side. The western part of the fortifications was completely destroyed by floods that occurred in 1780 and 1830. Toward the end of the 18th century, a decision was made to dismantle the outer gate.

Today, only small sections of the walls remain in Gryfino, along with the remains of watchtowers on the southern and northern sides. On what is now Bolesław Chrobry Street, we can find the only surviving Gothic gate, the Bańska Gate (formerly St. George’s Gate). Toward the end of the 19th century, the gate was threatened with demolition, allegedly due to the town’s expansion. Thanks to its designation as a historic monument by the City Council in 1864, the structure remained intact. In 1888, the gate was renovated, and in 1979, during another renovation, the battlements of the shooting terrace were restored. 

The southern facade of the Bańska Gate, just above the passageway, features ceramic blind-window decoration. On the northern facade, above the passageway, there is a pointed-arch blind window. The western wall contains a bay window serving as a latrine, known as a “dansker.” There, we also find arrowslits and semicircular windows.

Gryfino’s medieval fortifications were built of granite boulders bound together with a clay-limestone mortar. The stones were laid irregularly. Some of the brick walls were constructed using the Wendish method. On the southeast side, the longest section of the medieval fortifications has been preserved; it is approximately 70 meters long.

The town fortifications in Gryfino were added to the list of historic monuments in September 1958.