The beginnings of the construction of the town fortifications of Bardejov are closely related to the urban development in the first half of the 14th century and the gradual transformation of the old market village into a medieval town, which has been helped by its thriving agriculture, crafts and trade. The all-round development of the town, which was gaining strategic economic, political and cultural importance in the Hungarian-Polish border region, was also supported by the Hungarian rulers.
In 1352, King Ludovít I. commanded the people of Bardejov fortify and reinforce the city with walls and towers. Privilégiom the prerequisite for the later integrated urban-architectural development of the area inside the city walls was created. In the area of today's Upper Gate the city was most vulnerable. Historians have located the town castle, mentioned several times, in this part, which served to protect the thirty (customs) station. It disappeared in the second half of the 15th century when the Upper Gate and its facilities were rebuilt and was later incorporated into the city fortifications. The Upper Gate led out onto a road going south to Prešov, Lower northeast gate to the northbound road to Zborov and further to Poland similarly, as the west gate of Valla to the road that led through the Tople valley and the Beskydy Pass also continued to Poland. The northern part of the town was protected by a natural terrace of Tople, on which the walls were built. At its foot was built a mill embankment, which also served as a fortification function. Similarly, the eastern part was effectively protected by the construction of a fortification wall on the natural elevated terrace of the Šibský Brook.
In the 15th century, as a result of the Hussite threat and the occupation of the northern borders of Hungary by Polish troops, the completion of the walls and new modern elements (ochodze, new bastions, a parcan line, an advanced fortification on the northern side ) gave Bardejov a modern effective fortification system. This generous reconstruction was conditioned on the one hand by foreign policy King Sigismund, especially in relation to Poland and Hussite Bohemia at the end of Sigismund's reign. On the other hand, it was a reaction to the improvement of military technology and the introduction of firearms into the arsenal. The strategic position of the town in the Polish-Hungarian border area is evidenced by the fact that King Sigismund himself took part in the modernisation of the fortifications. The effectiveness of the defence of the town walls was increased by the excavation of moats encircling almost the entire town. The work was led by Bardejov burgher, master Mikuláš. The moat was divided into several sections, each of which had its own name, e.g. Upper Pond, Lower Pond, Great Moat-Dale. In times of danger, they were filled with water from nearby water sources or from the city water supply.
The castle wall with gates, bastions and moat was gradually reinforced by a battering ram, an advanced parcan line and an outer moat wall. The entrance gates were protected by a drawbridge and, from the 16th century, also by a circular barbican. There were four gates and due to the risk of infestation entered the city by a different one every day. Which gate to enter through was always decided morning of the day.
Fortification of Bardejov today forms a unique complex of walls, bastions and gates, which has been preserved almost in its original form and largely above the terrain. Extinct sections are demonstrably documented below ground level. Almost in the original profile, the preserved i moats on the eastern and south-western sides. The city gates have not survived; only the remains of their outer walls are visible today. The number of preserved medieval bastions: nine have been preserved in almost their original form, two of them have been incorporated into newer buildings in later times. The city fortification of Bardejov with its fortification system belongs to one of the mostbetter medieval city fortificationsin Slovakia and rightfully belongs to the the best preserved in Europe.
Parts of the city fortifications: Bastions of the city fortifications are the most remarkable remains. Each of the bastions had floors, on which there were firing points in the walls according to the type of weapons used. The defence of each bastion was provided by an appropriate number of citizens, usually members of a single guild, and they were named after their shape, the place on which they stood, or after some prominent inhabitants of the town. Each was commanded by a member of the town council. He also held the keys to the bastion, where ammunition and weapons were stored. According to archival records, in 1536 the town had 480 rifles, 609 swords, 89 crossbows, 390 spears and 160 halberds. The number of cannons is unknown, but it is known that the cannoneers were the best paid mercenaries in the city. Bardejov was always well armed. There were several arms manufacturers and gunsmiths working in the town. The Hungarian rulers often did not hesitate to ask the town for weapons, ammunition and good gunners. An inventory of the weapons that the town received in 1673 has also been preserved. borrowed for the defence of Košice. School bastion - the westernmost four-storey bastion with a lenticular plan and a new conical roof. Accessed from the town by an entrance with a stone portal. Traces of the connection to the defensive wall are still visible on both sides of the town wall and on the side away from the town the cracks for the ochodza. On the outside, enlarged Renaissance windows are visible, which replaced the original gunports. A water pipe ran near the bastion, which is why it is marked as the Water Bastion in some documents. The water came from a spring in the Rurna. In connection with the source, a city employee is mentioned in the city ledgers Röhrmeister, who was in charge of the city's water supply. Square bastion - the southernmost bastion with a hipped roof and dormers stands on a square plan and was functionally designed to strengthen the defence of the strategic Upper Gate. In some sources it is referred to as Dusty Bastion, which suggests that it served as a weapons and gunpowder factory and warehouse. In the 1950s it was adapted for the purposes of the Šariš Museum depository. Monastery Bastion - The three-storey bastion with preserved brackets for fixing the cornice around the wall stands in the garden of the Franciscan monastery. The original Gothic vaults are preserved in the lower floors. Renaissance bastion - the northernmost city bastion, apart from the North Bastion (not an integral part of the fortification). It got its name from the Renaissance decoration Attics from 1582, decorated with sgraffito, the authors of which were the Pel brothers from Lugano. It represents a type of open (unroofed) bastion. Red Bastion -also called Royal, owes its name to its red blocking. Between the gunports on the northeast side, there is a remnant of a painting dating from 1597. North bastion - withThe Northern (also Archival) Bastion, a three-storey tower on the northern edge of the town in front of the water tower, is also part of the town fortification. It got its second name from the archive funds stored here. The Great Bastion - built directly in the moat. It stands on a semicircular plan, topped with a tiled roof. It strengthened the defence of the Lower Gate. Under the upper cornice, on the outer shell, the remains of the ethe coat of arms of the city and the coat of arms of Hungary, which in 1597 was painted by the then richtár Leonard Glatz. Today it is the depository of the Šariš Museum. Rough Bastion - withIt is located on the south-eastern outskirts of the town. Its important strategic and defensive function is evidenced by the fact that the thickness of the masonry reaches up to 3.5 metres, making it the thickest bastion of the city fortifications. The defence was provided by cannons located in the cannon chambers on the first and second floors. Little Bastion - forms one building unit with the Rough Bastion and served as an ammunition store. In addition to the town bastions that have been preserved to this day, other bastions that no longer exist were part of the defensive system. Most of them no longer exist at all, some of them have preserved terrain foundations (e.g. Nárožná bastion). Some of them disappeared around the middle of the 19th century, others had to give way to construction in the 20th century. Gates of the city fortification - Medieval Bardejov was originally accessible through three main gates and several small pedestrian gates. Their construction was one of the priorities of the construction works on the city fortification. None of the city gates has been preserved to this day in its full glory. Lower gate - It was located in the northeast of the town and included a barbican and a horseshoe-shaped moat. A double-arched stone bridge has been preserved over it, replacing the original wooden lifting bridge. The gate was rebuilt between 1426 and 1427. Hoop (Reuffertor) demolished around 1821. Upper gate - closed the entrance to the town from the south, and which was rebuilt in 1405-1407 by Master Matthias of Nuremberg into the so-called. thirty castle. For defensive reasons, the gate was broken to the right angle with the barbican presented. It was entered via a drawbridge from the barbican and from there via another bridge to the Prešov road. In 1770 the bridge was replaced by a stone one. The gate was removed in 1843. A part of the masonry and a stone-reinforced moat have been preserved from the barbican of the Upper Gate. Remains of the masonry are also below ground level. West Gate - the gate secured the entrance to the town from the west side. It was also called Stará or Wallova (Wallentor) according to a townsman living nearby Shimon Wallu. It was a three-storey, square tower with roofs and a bay window. From 1725 a tower clock was placed on it. As „The Hour Gate“ It served until 1878, when it was removed after a fire. Gateway -the last of the main city gates. It was a smaller passage in the northern walls called simply the Gateway (Törlein), built between the parish church and the rectory.
Parts of the city fortifications: Bastions of the city fortifications are the most remarkable remains. Each of the bastions had floors, on which there were firing points in the walls according to the type of weapons used. The defence of each bastion was provided by an appropriate number of citizens, usually members of a single guild, and they were named after their shape, the place on which they stood, or after some prominent inhabitants of the town. Each was commanded by a member of the town council. He also held the keys to the bastion, where ammunition and weapons were stored. According to archival records, in 1536 the town had 480 rifles, 609 swords, 89 crossbows, 390 spears and 160 halberds. The number of cannons is unknown, but it is known that the cannoneers were the best paid mercenaries in the city. Bardejov was always well armed. There were several arms manufacturers and gunsmiths working in the town. The Hungarian rulers often did not hesitate to ask the town for weapons, ammunition and good gunners. An inventory of the weapons that the town received in 1673 has also been preserved. borrowed for the defence of Košice. School bastion - the westernmost four-storey bastion with a lenticular plan and a new conical roof. Accessed from the town by an entrance with a stone portal. Traces of the connection to the defensive wall are still visible on both sides of the town wall and on the side away from the town the cracks for the ochodza. On the outside, enlarged Renaissance windows are visible, which replaced the original gunports. A water pipe ran near the bastion, which is why it is marked as the Water Bastion in some documents. The water came from a spring in the Rurna. In connection with the source, a city employee is mentioned in the city ledgers Röhrmeister, who was in charge of the city's water supply. Square bastion - the southernmost bastion with a hipped roof and dormers stands on a square plan and was functionally designed to strengthen the defence of the strategic Upper Gate. In some sources it is referred to as Dusty Bastion, which suggests that it served as a weapons and gunpowder factory and warehouse. In the 1950s it was adapted for the purposes of the Šariš Museum depository. Monastery Bastion - The three-storey bastion with preserved brackets for fixing the cornice around the wall stands in the garden of the Franciscan monastery. The original Gothic vaults are preserved in the lower floors. Renaissance bastion - the northernmost city bastion, apart from the North Bastion (not an integral part of the fortification). It got its name from the Renaissance decoration Attics from 1582, decorated with sgraffito, the authors of which were the Pel brothers from Lugano. It represents a type of open (unroofed) bastion. Red Bastion -also called Royal, owes its name to its red blocking. Between the gunports on the northeast side, there is a remnant of a painting dating from 1597. North bastion - withThe Northern (also Archival) Bastion, a three-storey tower on the northern edge of the town in front of the water tower, is also part of the town fortification. It got its second name from the archive funds stored here. The Great Bastion - built directly in the moat. It stands on a semicircular plan, topped with a tiled roof. It strengthened the defence of the Lower Gate. Under the upper cornice, on the outer shell, the remains of the ethe coat of arms of the city and the coat of arms of Hungary, which in 1597 was painted by the then richtár Leonard Glatz. Today it is the depository of the Šariš Museum. Rough Bastion - withIt is located on the south-eastern outskirts of the town. Its important strategic and defensive function is evidenced by the fact that the thickness of the masonry reaches up to 3.5 metres, making it the thickest bastion of the city fortifications. The defence was provided by cannons located in the cannon chambers on the first and second floors. Little Bastion - forms one building unit with the Rough Bastion and served as an ammunition store. In addition to the town bastions that have been preserved to this day, other bastions that no longer exist were part of the defensive system. Most of them no longer exist at all, some of them have preserved terrain foundations (e.g. Nárožná bastion). Some of them disappeared around the middle of the 19th century, others had to give way to construction in the 20th century. Gates of the city fortification - Medieval Bardejov was originally accessible through three main gates and several small pedestrian gates. Their construction was one of the priorities of the construction works on the city fortification. None of the city gates has been preserved to this day in its full glory. Lower gate - It was located in the northeast of the town and included a barbican and a horseshoe-shaped moat. A double-arched stone bridge has been preserved over it, replacing the original wooden lifting bridge. The gate was rebuilt between 1426 and 1427. Hoop (Reuffertor) demolished around 1821. Upper gate - closed the entrance to the town from the south, and which was rebuilt in 1405-1407 by Master Matthias of Nuremberg into the so-called. thirty castle. For defensive reasons, the gate was broken to the right angle with the barbican presented. It was entered via a drawbridge from the barbican and from there via another bridge to the Prešov road. In 1770 the bridge was replaced by a stone one. The gate was removed in 1843. A part of the masonry and a stone-reinforced moat have been preserved from the barbican of the Upper Gate. Remains of the masonry are also below ground level. West Gate - the gate secured the entrance to the town from the west side. It was also called Stará or Wallova (Wallentor) according to a townsman living nearby Shimon Wallu. It was a three-storey, square tower with roofs and a bay window. From 1725 a tower clock was placed on it. As „The Hour Gate“ It served until 1878, when it was removed after a fire. Gateway -the last of the main city gates. It was a smaller passage in the northern walls called simply the Gateway (Törlein), built between the parish church and the rectory.
Source: city of Bardejov, wikipedia Photo Source: wikipedia, severovychod.sk,archinfo.sk(chllophoto)
Map
Gallery
Information
City of Bardejov
Town Hall Square 16
08501 Bardejov
Slovak Republic
Tel: 054/4722641; 054 / 4862 122
E-mail: info@bardejov.sk
Web: www.bardejov.sk
