Kraków Gate

The Kraków Gate at the western edge of the old town is the principal entry to Lublin's historic centre, a 14th-century tower that has been rebuilt and adapted many times. The Gothic lower section is original; the Renaissance upper stories were added after a fire. The tower houses a small museum of Lublin's history, and climbing to the top gives the best views over the old town rooftops.

The square just outside the gate, the Litewski Square (Plac Litewski), is where the formal ceremony marking the Lublin Union of 1569 was conducted — the document signed here formally united the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A monument marks the spot.

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The Kraków Gate is the only surviving medieval gate from the old city walls, and it has accumulated a strange collection of uses: clock tower, prison, fire observatory, and now a small history museum. The clock mechanism was installed in the 16th century and has been keeping (mostly) accurate time ever since.

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