Libočanská branka, Medieval gate in Žatec, Czech Republic

Libočanská branka is a medieval city gate in Žatec with a rectangular structure and a narrow passage for traffic. The building has served as residential space since 1843 while keeping its historical architectural features intact.

The gate's lower section is older than the neighbouring Kněžská brána: a beam fixing the door behind the outer portal was cut from oak felled between 1257 and 1287, per dendrochronological analysis. It let people pass from the Lower Suburb, called Bačina, into the inner town. A fire damaged it in 1767, and by 1843 it had been adapted for housing.

This gate served as a key passage through the medieval town wall and still shapes the character of Žatec today. Visitors walking by can see on its facade the different architectural styles that accumulated over the centuries.

The gate stands between the Lower Suburb, called Bačina, and the inner town, so it is passed on foot rather than driven through. The outer arch of the deep passage is only 2 metres wide, and the gate is about 19 metres high. It now serves as housing, so the interior is not open to visitors.

A wooden beam fixing the gate behind the outer portal was cut from oak felled between 1257 and 1287, so the lower part of Libočanská branka predates the Kněžská brána. Until 1879 a bastion with a memorial plaque and the year 1463, marking completion of Žatec's late Gothic fortifications, stood beside the gate.