Kraków built its system of defences at the end of the 13th century. At first, it consisted of wooden and earthen fortifications with a moat. Soon afterwards masonry walls were introduced.

Only a section of the medieval fortifications has survived to our time. It stretches for c. 200 metres and includes St Florian’s Gate and three towers.
St Florian’s Gate, first mentioned in 1307, was the main ceremonial entrance to the city on the Royal Route. Over time, it was reinforced with the Barbican that served both defensive and symbolic functions.

The three stone-and-brick 15th-century towers that have survived next to the gate are the Haberdashers’ Tower, the Carpenters’ Tower and the Joiners’ Tower. Although most of the city walls were demolished in the early 19th century by order of the Austrian authorities, the section around St Florian’s Gate was saved thanks to the efforts of Feliks Radwański, an architect, professor and senator of the Free City of Kraków, who argued that the northern part of the fortifications should be preserved as an important reminder of the city’s past.