The defensive walls of Ząbkowice Śląskie date back to the city’s founding in the 13th century. Today, only a portion of them remains. The oldest visible remnant is a section of wall running from Grunwaldzka Street to Prusa Street.
The first city walls were likely built around the time of the city’s foundation. It was likely a small, quadrangular ring measuring 200 by 400 meters with four gates, surrounding a square market square. Some of the fortifications were constructed as wooden and earthen ramparts, while others were made of rubble. The oldest surviving section of the walls is the wall running from Grunwaldzka Street to Prusa Street.
Since then, the fortifications have undergone at least two major reconstructions. The walls were expanded as the city expanded.
The first of these took place at the beginning of the 14th century. At that time, the city expanded significantly to the northeast. The Dominican church and monastery were incorporated into the walls. To the south, the city expanded to include a new district, known as the New Town (now Proletariatczyków Street), which was built in front of the Ziębice Gate. Outside the city walls at that time were the castle and St. George’s Hospital.
In the 15th century, the city was repeatedly besieged and captured, which undoubtedly contributed to the poor condition of the city walls. A second major reconstruction of the city fortifications took place during the reign of Prince Charles I of Poděbrady, who also commissioned the construction of a new castle. At that time, semi-cylindrical towers were constructed, the moats were deepened, the walls were reinforced, embrasures were built in the walls, and parapets were added to the towers.
The next expansion took place in the 1590s, when a lower outer ring of walls was built. The fortifications then consisted of two rings: an inner ring, approximately 8 meters high and 1 meter thick, with towers placed every 50-60 meters, and an outer ring, spaced 10 meters from the inner wall. The lower inner ring contained towers and embrasures. A 20-meter-wide outer moat surrounded the city on the west, south, and north-east sides. Additionally, a second, narrower moat existed between the walls.
From the mid-18th century, the city walls were gradually dismantled. In 1750, the outer ring was demolished. About 20 years later, the filling of the moats and ramparts began. In the second half of the 19th century, demolition of the inner ring began. In 1806, the city council ordered the road leading around the castle from the Srebrna Góra Gate to the Kłodzko Gate to be planted with linden trees. This created the city’s most beautiful Castle Promenade. In 1817, the section of the city walls between the Ziębice and Wrocław Gates was partially demolished, the moats were filled in, and the ramparts were leveled. In 1819, the moat at the Wrocław Gate and between the Ziębice and Kłodzko Gates was filled in.
The only remaining section of the city moat is a pond in the city park.
Source: https://www.zabkowiceslaskie.pl/