City walls of Loket, Medieval fortification in Loket, Czech Republic

The city walls of Loket are a medieval stone fortification that wraps around the old town along a river bend, featuring several preserved towers. The structure forms a complete defensive perimeter with multiple entry points that protected the town center.

A Romanesque castle with a rotunda stood on the promontory by the second half of the 12th century, and around 1240 the settlement below became a fortified royal town. Between 1434 and 1547, while Loket was pledged to the Schlick family, a zwinger wall with massive artillery bastions and the main town gate were added. The town became a fortress in 1663, lost that status at the end of the 18th century, and the main gate was demolished in 1836.

The walls shaped how the town developed in medieval times and show how people organized their living space within the protected perimeter. You can see today how the fortification influenced the layout of the old town center.

You can visit the walls year-round and explore several preserved sections that are easily accessible on foot from the town center. Informational panels along the route explain construction details and offer good vantage points over the surrounding area.

The Black Tower, the taller of the two surviving towers, was part of the Lower Gate in the eastern part of the old town. Its name is modern, taken from the dark appearance it gained after repairs in the first half of the 20th century. The tower has a summer entrance and a spiral staircase leading to the second floor.