Defensive walls in Paczków, Fortified walls and tower in Paczków, Poland

The defensive walls of Paczków form an oval ring about 1,200 meters long around the old town, built of rough stone and standing 7 to 9 meters high. Of the original four gate towers and 24 shell towers, three gate towers and 19 shell towers remain. The walls have crenellations with loopholes, and the main gates are the Wrocław Gate, Ząbkowice Gate, Kłodzko Gate and Nysa Tower.

The first stone walls were built around 1350 under Bishop Preczlaw of Pogarell, replacing earthworks and a moat. The Hussites destroyed the ring in 1428–1429, and it was rebuilt in the second half of the 15th century. A second wall with a water-filled moat followed in the 16th century; repairs are recorded for 1514.

The fortifications gave Paczków a reputation as a medieval fortress town and still show the building methods used in the 15th century to defend Central European cities. Those who walk along the walls can still see traces of this old engineering in the shape and arrangement of the towers.

The town gates were demolished between 1844 and 1846, and the outer ring of fortifications was removed at the start of the 19th century, so the walls can now be reached openly along the old town edge. The filled-in moat became a green space in 1847. The surviving walls, towers and gates were renovated between 1891 and 1899.

Several of the towers have wooden canopies supported by brackets that protrude from the stonework, creating a kind of protective roof over the outside. This construction with overhanging wooden parts is a rare feature that is clearly visible on this structure.