The 14th century stone walls were preceded by temporary walls built of wood and clay. Access to the town was possible through three gates. The Upper or Prague Gate located in the western part of the town was protected by a tower, demolished after the fire of 1861. A road leading due north to the Krkonoše Mountains went through the middle gate, also called the Mountain Gate. This and the Lower Gate, also called the Silesian Gate, consisted of stone fore-gates, which were preserved until the 19th century. On the southern side of the walls the street network ran into several smaller gates. The walls were divided by a system of rectangular and semicircular towers and, at the same time, reinforced by supporting pillars. Their fragments have been preserved until the present, either as separate segments standing along Na Vrchu Street, Na Struze Street or Vodní Street, or as a part of the rear house walls.
Foto: Miloš Šálek