Town fortification

The 14th century was not only the time of bloom for Kežmarok but also of wars and riots. They were the reasons why the town inevitably needed to improve its defensive system. We do not exactly know how the fortification was built, the first written mention of the town walls comes from 1368.

The town location itself, which was protected by the streams of the Poprad River and Ľubický potok, offered good conditions for the fortification. The town fortification lined the shape of the medieval town with an area of more than 20 ha. The town castle became also the part of this fortification. Town walls were long approximately 2 km. They consisted of 2 parallel walls. The external wall was lower, the internal was higher, plastered, had walkways, and loopholes. Bastions, towers and gates were connected together by the walkways on the walls. Originally, three entrance gates led through fortification into the town.

Vyšná brána (the Upper Gate) kept a watch on the road leading to the Town of Levoča. The gate space was used as the weapons and ammunition store. A big arched stone cellar was located under the gate. Nižná brána led to Poland. It was the part of the complicated complex of buildings. It stood next to the castle, with which the gate tower was connected. From the whole complex, only the rest of rondel is still standing. In the past, the walls of Nižná brána (the Lower Gate) were washed by fish ponds. Today, a park can be found there.

Kušnierska brána (the Kušnierska Gate) was of little importance. A side road which branched off the main road leading to present-day Poprad led through this gate. The extensive fortification complex was complemented by water ditches. Several fires in the 18th and 19th century destroyed the fortification so much that it gradually fell into pieces due to lacking repairs.

Up to these days, only the reconstructed tower with the rest of the defensive wall has been preserved in the Street Priekopa (when you go from Evangelical churches to the town centre). Still standing are also the torso fortification in the Baštová Street, and a part of the fore-gate of the entrance gate Nižná brána. It can be found near the castle and followed along the rest of the fortification wall behind the Starý trh street (Old Market street). Similar defensive system preserved until nowadays can be found in the near Town of Levoča.