Tourist routes in Poznań: Fortress and memorials
Fortification Walls, Poznań / Shutterstock
Fortification Walls
Medieval walls, curbing the city's development, were demolished in the 18th century. Today only some scarce remains can be seen which are: 6m tall corner tower at Masztalarska and 23 Lutego Streets whose wall is 1,5m thick and its outer diameter is 8,5m, there are 8 loopholes in the wall. At Wolnica Street, from the Fire Brigade's yard another fragment of the inner wall can be seen, it was recently discovered and partly reconstructed. There is also St Cathrine's Sisters' tower which has survived until today only because it has been church property - now it is a part of a building on the courtyard of former St Cathrine's Sisters' Convent which currently belongs to Salesians of Don Bosco.
Thanks to the renovation works, it is possible to enter the Fire Brigade's yard and see the tower and the reconstructed fragments of the wall at its best.
There is also a fragment of the outer wall at Ludgardy Street. Between Chopin's Park and Wrocławska Street (where a city gate towards Wrocław once stood) there is a piece of fortification walls with loopholes. It was built in the 18th century to the south of the medieval walls, demolished during the construction of the Jesuit College. On the road surface of Wrocławska Street, the location of medieval walls is marked with red paving stones as well as in several other places, both on road and pavement surface e.g. Jaskółcza Street, Paderewskiego Street, Szkolna Street, Wroniecka Street, Wielka Street or Wodna Street. Besides, Murna Street was outlined in the line of the outer wall. The remains of the city fortification wall is also Marcinkowski Avenue - the first public promenade on Polish territory which came to existence to the west of the demolished medieval walls.