Barbican (Barbakan)

The Barbican (Barbakan) on ul. Basztowa in Krakow's Old Town is a circular brick bastion from the late 15th century, built to guard the Florian Gate, the main northern entrance to the medieval city in Lesser Poland. It is one of the best-preserved fortifications of its type in Europe. The walls are about three metres thick and topped with seven turrets, and the structure was once linked to the city gate by a walled passage across a moat, which is still visible in outline. Inside, a courtyard and covered defensive gallery with arrow slits and loopholes can be visited, and the Museum of Krakow uses the interior for exhibitions and in summer for concerts and historical reenactments. A visit takes 30 to 45 minutes. The exterior can be seen free from the street, and many visitors only walk around it, since the brick masses are most striking from outside. Late afternoon is the best light for photographs, when the warm brick glows, and the view along Florianska Street with the gate and the Barbican together is a classic Krakow image. The interior is usually open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00 in season, with a ticket price of about 22 PLN for adults, 16 PLN reduced and 44 PLN for a family. Opening times are seasonal and the site can close in winter, so confirming on the Museum of Krakow website is advisable. It is five minutes' walk north of Main Market Square, next to the surviving stretch of city wall and the Planty park, and close to the Czartoryski Museum. Crowds are heaviest at midday in summer, when street artists sell paintings along the nearby wall, and quietest on weekday mornings. The cobbled approaches and steps make some parts of the interior hard to reach.