History

The town walls were erected in the early 14th century. The chartered town was enclosed in an oval-shaped ring of the walls, bulging in the north-eastern section and creating the so-called neck, which connected the town to the castle fortifications. They were surrounded by a moat supplied with water from a nearby stream and a rampart. In the late 15th century they were extended upwards by a brick layer with embrasures. The town was accessed through two gate: the Świebodzin Gate to the north and the Zielona Góra Gate to the south. In the 18th century two more gates were built into the walls: the Royal Gate in the eastern section and the Krosno Gate (1704) in the western section, which is the only one preserved to the present day. At the end of the 19th century the walls were demolished, but relatively long sections thereof were left. The Krosno Gate was renovated in 1891 and 1927.

Description

The remains of the town fortifications include sections in Okrężna Street, Jana Pawła II Street, Magazynowa Street and Nowy Rynek Street. The fragments are 1.2 metres thick and 2.5 metres high, except for the section in Nowy Rynek Street, with the remnants of battlements and embrasures, reaching up to 5 metres. The walls were built of fieldstone, bonded with lime mortar. The wall is characterised by the lack of uniformity and numerous brick additions. The crest of the walls has not survived.

The Krosno Gate, also known as the Piastów Gate, was the only one to survive. It is situated in the north-western section of the town, at the exit of Brama Polska Street, in the line of defensive walls. The structure is built of brick and plastered. It consists of an opening running across the structure, terminating in a semi-circular arch, and a similar smaller gate to the south The gateway is flanked by pilasters, locked with a keystone adorned with a gargoyle, and rusticated. The whole structure is crowned with a semi-circular pediment decorated with three lawns. To the west there is a tympanum decorated with a cartouche depicting the Piast Eagle. On the other side, to the east, there is the coat of arms of the town.

The monument is available to visitors.

Compiled by Marta Kłaczkowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Zielona Góra, 09-10-2014 r.

Bibliography

• Karta ewidencyjna, Brama Krośnieńska, oprac. Bielins-Kopeć B., 1999 r., Archiwum Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Ochrony Zabytków w Zielonej Górze.
• Karta ewidencyjna, Mury miejskie, oprac. Bielins-Kopeć B., 1999 r., Archiwum Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Ochrony Zabytków w Zielonej Górze.
• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, t. 1, Zielona Góra 2012, s. 80-81.