It is one of the two surviving city gates in Słupsk. Originally, both gates were examples of the same type of gatehouse with decorative flourishes in the top section and a pointed arch gateway on the ground floor level.

History

The construction of the brick and stone walls around the city of Słupsk began in 1325 with the ground floor level of two gates: the Mill Gate and the Holstein Gate, positioned at the ends of the main east-west communication route. The New Gate was built slightly later, as its name might imply, although most likely no later than during the first half of the 14th century. The construction began with the lower section incorporating a pointed-arch gateway. In years 1380-1385 the subsequent levels of the tower were constructed. The large, pointed-arch opening above the gateway in the eastern facade was bricked up sometime around 1441. During the same period - perhaps during the mid-15th century - a foregate complex was erected on the western side of the gate. During the April of 1477, the gables and the roof of the tower were destroyed by a fire that engulfed almost the entire city. During the centuries that came after, the gate has started to take on a whole new appearance; around 1650 a Baroque cupola roof was installed, subsequently superseded by a tented roof with a lantern in 1724, the latter having survived to this day. In years 1724-1755, the gate tower was used as a prison and a house of forced labour with a wool spinning mill. In 1836, the gateway was widened and the western facade was refurbished. From the second half of the 19th century until World War I, the building was used as a storage facility and workshop of the Hussars of the Blücher’s Regiment. In 1924, the restored gate became the location of the regional museum (known as Heimatmuseum im Neuen Tor), established in 1910 at the initiative of the local historical and sightseeing society. The building continued to serve as a museum until 1965, when the collection contained therein was moved to a new location - the restored Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes. Shortly afterwards, the building was adapted to serve as an art gallery.

Description

The gate is located in the former western line of medieval city walls, forming a terminating vista of the Nowobramska street which leads here from the Old Market. Today, along with the neighbouring structures, it forms a dense eastern frontage of the A. Łajming street and, partially, of the Victory Square (Plac Zwycięstwa).

The tower was built in the Gothic style,

the shape of its floor plan approximating that of a square (dimensions: about 9 x 9 m), with a gateway positioned on the east-west axis. The entrance to the first floor is located on the outside, in the southern wall, with three flights of steps (including two curved flights) leading upwards, along the southern wall. The tower is a monumental, four-storey structure with a tented roof topped with an octagonal lantern with a cupola.

The building is made of brick (monk bond), its ground floor walls being approximately 1.5-1.9 metres thick. The bricks forming the tower walls differ in appearance, demonstrating the fact that they were frequently repaired and modified over time.

The western facade follows a symmetrical design, with a single-axis ground floor section featuring a pointed-arch gate flanked by a pair of buttresses. The surface of the facade above is partitioned by seven recesses taking the form of slender blind windows topped with segmental arches, spanning across three storeys of the tower. Each storey features two windows positioned in the third and fourth recess, with an arcaded frieze crowning the structure.

The eastern facade also follows a symmetrical design. It features a single-axis ground floor section featuring a pointed-arch gate. A wide recess spanning two storeys is positioned above, incorporating four rows of windows. The recess is flanked by smaller, single-storey recesses with dual blind windows. Fourteen narrow blind windows of varying height are positioned above the arch of the large recess. All windows, recesses and blind windows are topped with pointed arches.

The southern and northern facade are both symmetrical, obscured by a connecting section at the first floor level. Seven stepped blind windows topped with segmental arches can be seen at the uppermost level, beneath the eaves.

Limited access to the historic building. The building can be visited during the opening hours of the art gallery (Monday to Friday 10.00-18.00, Saturdays 10.00-14.00).

Complied by: Teofila Lebiedź-Gruda, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Gdańsk, 27.08.2014.

Bibliography

• Stachlewski W., Słupski przewodnik turystyczny, Słupsk 2000.
• Szpilewski S., Zabytki Słupska, Słupsk 2000.