Venue/Address: Planty, ul. Basztowa
Tickets: regular 6pln, discount 4pln group ticket for schools 3.50pln
charge for taking photos 10pln family 12pln
Rating: (4.5 / 5.0)

Barbican, the medieval fortress, never conquered. It was conscructed in 15 century in order to protect Krakow against expected Turkish invasion, which finally didn't happen. It's a brick building of unique military architectural form. It has got 130 portholes and 7 little towers, its walls are more than 3 meters wide and its diagonal is more than 30 meters long. At the last level, there is a round machikula, a system protecting the walls from the direct attack.

Once, the Barbican was surrounded by the widest moat around medieval Krakow which was 24 meters wide at the widest point. The Barbican was link to St Florian's Gate by a stone neck. On a slant we can see a replica of a drawbridge which constituted once the only entrance to this building.

Nowadays, the Barbican is one of the most imposing medieval fortresses still remaining in Europe but its current function differs much from the previous one.

Nowadays it's available for visiting and at its courtyard spectacles, movies' shows and simulations of kinghts' fights often take place.