Barbakan

The Barbakan is a round Gothic fortress that once guarded the northern approach to Krakow. It was built around 1498 to 1499 and is one of the few barbicans left in Europe, and the best preserved of them. A brick drum of walls and turrets set behind its own moat, it protected the Florian Gate and was linked to the city walls by a covered passage. Today it stands on its own patch of the Planty, open to walk into in season.

This is the most complete piece of Krakow's medieval defences still standing. Most of the walls were pulled down in the 19th century and replaced by the Planty gardens, so the Barbican and the neighbouring gate are rare survivors. It is quick to see, sits right at the top of the Royal Route, and works well as a first or last stop on a walk into the Old Town.

The building is a cylinder of brick with an inner courtyard and a ring of turrets, and the thick walls are pierced with slots for archers and early firearms. Inside there are seasonal exhibitions and, in summer, costumed displays of medieval crafts and fighting. From here you look straight through the Florian Gate and down Ulica Florianska toward the Main Market Square, which is how kings once entered the city.

The Barbican was raised around the turn of the 16th century to strengthen the city's northern defences at a time of military threat from the south and east. Its rounded form let defenders cover every angle of the approach, and a covered passage once carried across the moat to join it to the main walls. When those walls came down in the 1820s, the Barbican and the Florian Gate were kept. It now belongs to the Museum of Krakow.

Fifteen to twenty minutes inside is enough, and you can see the outside for free in a couple of minutes as you pass. Combine it with the Florian Gate and a walk down Florianska.

The Barbican is usually open to go inside only in the warmer months, so it suits a spring-to-autumn visit; check the Museum of Krakow's website for current dates and hours. The outside is there to see all year. Mornings are calmer than afternoons, when tour groups gather at the gate.

The Barbican sits on the northern edge of the Old Town, just outside the Florian Gate on the line of the Planty. From Krakow Glowny, the main station, it is about a five-minute walk. From the Main Market Square, walk north up Florianska and you reach it in a few minutes. See the Krakow guide for wider transport.

The ground around the Barbican is flat and easy to reach, but the interior is a historic fortress with uneven surfaces and steps, so access inside is limited. Check with the Museum of Krakow if this matters for your visit.

The Barbican sits at the head of the Old Town, so the main sights are a short walk south:

• Ulica Florianska, the Royal Route street running from the gate to the square.
• Main Market Square, about five minutes on foot.
• The Planty, the green ring that now circles the Old Town where the walls once stood.

A barbican is a fortified outpost built in front of a city gate to add a layer of defence. Krakow's guarded the northern gate and was joined to the walls by a covered passage across the moat.

Yes, in season. It opens to visitors as part of the Museum of Krakow, mainly in the warmer months. Outside those dates you can still see it from the surrounding gardens.