Thorn Town Fortification - Bridge Gate

The gate is located in the southern part of the Old Town of Toruń (Thorn), on Bridge Street (ul. Mostawa). The Bridge Gate is followed by the Sailor's Gate and the Monastery Gate. The southwest section of the city wall is concluded by the Leaning Tower.

Four of the total of six gate towers of the Thorn city fortifications led to the riverbank in the Middle Ages. Three are still preserved and bear witness to this day to the special importance that the Vistula harbor once possessed. The gate was built in 1432 by Johann Gotland in the course of a city expansion with an arch crowned with brick battlements. It was built on the site of another structure with the same function. For many centuries, the center of Thorn was surrounded by an almost completely preserved city wall from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the late 19th century, part of the city fortifications was abandoned for modernization projects. The current name refers to the first permanent bridge in Thorn, which spanned the Vistula since 1500. Of all medieval gates, the Bridge Gate was the most modern. The round sides protected against the consequences of a possible artillery attack, while the loopholes protected against unwanted intruders into the city. The gate was the lowest part of the city wall. For this reason, the highest water levels during the greatest floods were marked on it. In the gate one can see flood marks from the year 1570. On February 18, 1570, the Vistula reached a height of 10.74 meters.