The town fortifications were interconnected with the ducal castle.  Despite demolitions and modifications introduced in the later periods, the defensive system of Kożuchów belongs to one of the best-preserved ones in Poland.

History of the site

Most likely already in the late 13th or early 14th century stone fortifications of Kożuchów began to be erected. The works on the town fortifications, where wooden and earthen ramparts with a palisade were replaced with stone walls, lasted throughout the 14th century, until the early 15th century. The oldest section of the fortifications included twelve rectangular lookout points, seven of which have survived until now. The walls were circumscribed by a moat, 22 metres wide, preceded by a six metres wide earthen rampart. The lookout points were situated every 50-60 metres and communication between them was safeguarded by a porch added to the wall crown. Three gates led to the town: the Głogów Gate, the Krosno Gate and the Żagań Gate, at the same time constituting defensive points in the fortification system. The defensive system of medieval walls also incorporated the ducal castle, the construction of which was completed before 1415, during the reign of the Duke of Głogów, Henry VIII. The introduction of new war techniques, including the application of artillery on a greater scale, forced the residents of Kożuchów to build a second ring of the stone wall at the turn of the 16th century, this time featuring semi-circular roundels. In the 17th century, due to the loss of defensive characteristics, the town fortifications began to be gradually demolished. After the fire of the town in 1764, a part of the external wall was torn down to the height of 1-2 metres, while the obtained material was used for the purpose of reconstructing residential buildings. In 1819 the Żagań Gate, the Głogów Gate and the Krosno Gate were torn down, while at the same time the semi-circular fortified tower of the Krosno Gate was spared demolition. In the late 19th and early 20th century works on drying and backfilling the moat began and the walls surrounding the castle were razed. In that period numerous residential and utility buildings began to be added to the defensive walls. The process of destroying and modifying the town fortifications was halted in the early 20th century. The town fortifications underwent refurbishment in the 1970s and in the years 2002-2008. These historic monuments require constant conservation works, thus the efforts of the local authorities to acquire more funds for further renovation works.

Description of the site

The delineation of the town area took place at the moment of obtaining a town charter. The entire area was circumscribed by defensive walls in the late 13th and early 14th century. The plan of Kożuchów shaped at that time has survived without considerable changes to recent times. The line of town fortifications has been preserved nearly along the entire original length and is best visible, among others, at Chopin Street, Zielonogórska Street and Spacerowa Street. The medieval defensive system consisted of walls built of fieldstones and split granite, the width of which at the base amounted to between 1.5 m and 1.9 m and that rose to 8 m in the tallest sections. The walls were crowned with battlements and hoardings, while the gates with machicolations. Currently, the internal wall has a height of 4 to 7 m in different sections. Twelve lookout points were incorporated into the ring of internal fortifications, seven of which have survived to our times. Some of them were transformed into utility buildings. At the turn of the 16th century the second strip of stone walls featuring roundels was erected. Six roundels have survived. The newer wall was narrower and lower than the one originating from the early 14th century. At present, the external strip of walls is 2 metres tall. A semi-circular, three-storey fortified tower of the Krosno Gate, preserved until now, was adapted to serve as a Regional Chamber. In place of the former moat, a municipal garden was established, while in the area of Zielonogórska and 1 Maja streets a promenade was delimited. The preserved defensive system of Kożuchów offers broad promotional possibilities and enhances the tourist offer focusing on the defensive architecture of the Lubusz Land.

Visitor access. The site is a property of the Municipal Office. The buildings are adequately exposed in the urban space and open to the public.

Author of the note: Krzysztof Słowiński, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra, 03-11-2017

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Szlakiem zabytkowych miast. Przewodnik po południowej części województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2005, pp. 207-208;
• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. II, Zielona Góra 2012, pp. 263-264;
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, p. 167;
• Kowalski S., Zabytki województwa zielonogórskiego, Zielona Góra 1987, p. 110;
• Kożuchów: zarys dziejów, Andrzejewski T. (ed.), Kożuchów 2003, pp. 21-25;
• Peryt-Gierasimczuk I., Czas architekturą zapisany. Zabytki województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 1998, p. 102.