Brama Portowa w Szczecinie

The Harbour Gate (Brama Portowa) in Szczecin is a Baroque fortress gate and one of the best preserved reminders of the city's former defences. It stands at a busy spot in the centre, where Niepodległości Avenue, Wyszyńskiego Street and Victory Square meet, so it fits easily into a walk around Szczecin.

What is the Harbour Gate?

It is a former city gate built between 1725 and 1727 to a design by the Dutch fortification engineer Gerhard Cornelius van Wallrawe. Over time it has been known under other names: it appears as the Berliner Tor, the Berlin Gate, and is sometimes called the Brandenburg Gate. The names come from the road it guarded, which led towards Berlin and Brandenburg.

What does it look like and what should you see?

The gate is a showpiece of defensive Baroque architecture. Its facade carries rich sculptural decoration by Bartholomé Damart. The sculpture and architectural detail give the structure a ceremonial rather than purely military feel, which reflects the spirit of the era: a fortification was meant not only to protect but also to impress anyone arriving in the city.

The best approach is to walk all the way around, looking at both the outer and inner sides. Pay attention to the proportions of the passage, the carved stonework and the figurative ornaments. Up close you can see how much care went into the finish.

Why did the gate survive?

Szczecin was a fortress city for centuries, and its defensive walls were taken down in the nineteenth century, with the dismantling of the fortifications under way from 1841. The Harbour Gate escaped the fate of most of them. It was saved from demolition in the later nineteenth century because of its historical and artistic value. During the Second World War its valuable sculptural elements were hidden to protect them from destruction, which is why the original decoration can still be admired today.

The Harbour Gate and the King's Gate

Szczecin has two Baroque gates from the same period. The other is the King's Gate (Brama Królewska), formerly the Anklam Gate, standing at Prussian Homage Square. Both were built in the first half of the eighteenth century to van Wallrawe's designs, and both are decorated with Damart's sculpture. Visiting them together lets you compare the two works and understand better what the city's defences looked like under Prussian rule.

Planning your visit

The gate stands beside major streets, so reaching it by public transport or on foot from the centre is easy. Viewing it from the outside usually takes a quarter of an hour or so, but allow extra time for photos, especially in morning or evening light when the stone details stand out. On the way you can look in at nearby Victory Square and continue towards the city centre.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Harbour Gate built? It was built between 1725 and 1727.

Who designed it? It was designed by Gerhard Cornelius van Wallrawe, a Dutch fortification designer. The sculptural decoration of the facade is by Bartholomé Damart.

What was it called in the past? It was known as the Berliner Tor (Berlin Gate) and the Brandenburg Gate.

What style is it? Baroque, with rich sculptural decoration.

Is there a similar gate in Szczecin? Yes, the King's Gate, built in the same period to a design by the same architect.