{"id":513,"date":"2026-06-26T10:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T08:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pohoriecergov.sk\/?post_type=poi&p=513"},"modified":"2026-07-13T13:55:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T11:55:21","slug":"mestske-opevnenie-mesta-sabinov","status":"publish","type":"poi","link":"https:\/\/pohoriecergov.sk\/en\/poi\/mestske-opevnenie-mesta-sabinov\/","title":{"rendered":"The town fortifications of Sabinov"},"content":{"rendered":"

The town<\/strong> Sabinov<\/strong> is first mentioned in a Hungarian charter King Bela IV, dated 23 February 1248<\/strong>. Its favourable location on the trade route running through the Torysa Valley was undoubtedly a decisive factor in attracting German settlers to the area. Sabinov\u2019s growing economic and political importance on the kingdom\u2019s borders, as well as the king\u2019s efforts Sigismund of Luxembourg<\/strong> to win over allies in the cities, they secured Sabinus a promotion to free royal town<\/strong>. This was set out in a charter dated 17 May 1405, which states that the town is to be surrounded by walls and other fortifications<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town walls and their structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the medieval chronicle of the town of Sabinov, work on the town walls and the surrounding moats did not begin until 1474. Sabinov also assisted the monarch in his struggle against rebellious nobles, and for this reason, in 1485, Matthias Corvinus granted it an annual sum of 100 zloty for a period of four years, intended for completion of the walls<\/strong>. It was in the King\u2019s own interest that the town should be well fortified, and for this reason he had already provided financial support to the town in previous years. In 1481, he exempted Sabinov from all taxes for a period of four years, and these funds were to be used for the construction of the walls. During the reign of Matthias Corvinus, Sabinov\u2019s economic and legal status was consolidated to such an extent that the other royal towns of eastern Slovakia accepted it as a member of their association of towns Pentapolitans.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1603, when a thorough inspection was carried out in the free royal towns of Hungary to examine both private and public buildings, city walls and fortresses, the thirty-man delegation of the Spi\u0161 Chamber also carried out an inspection of Sabinov. At that time, the city walls had a total length of approximately 1,330 metres and consisted of 16 towers<\/strong>, two of which are gate-type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite frequent repairs and careful maintenance, Sabinov\u2019s fortification system had already lost its major military significance by the 17th\u201318th centuries, offering the townspeople protection only against small military units and bandits. In the first half of the 19th century, the fortifications were no longer maintained; the moats were turned into gardens and the walls gradually fell into disrepair. The towers, which were owned by the town, were let to residents for agricultural and residential purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Town fortifications<\/strong> In Sabinov, the boundaries of the medieval royal town, which had an irregular oval ground plan with axes, were once defined 440 and 345 metres<\/strong>, with a central square on a lenticular plan. The road formed the town\u2019s main central axis and divided its area into two halves: north and south. The relatively simple design of the fortification system, as well as the nature of the bastions and embrasures, was also dictated by the natural conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Town fortifications<\/strong> formed an outer fortification, making use of the course of Mlynsk\u00fd Creek on the southern side. Due to the characteristic arrangement of the bastions, with their relatively wide spacing (50\u201377 m) \u2013 adapted to the new, advanced firearms \u2013 the fortification system of Sabinov is regarded as Gothic-Renaissance. <\/strong>The bastions themselves, comprising between two and four storeys, retain their original floor-plan and height dimensions Gothic character.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preserved sections of the fortifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of the entire town fortifications, with a perimeter of around 1395 m<\/strong> To this day, only fragments with a total length of around 497 m<\/strong>. The southern section is the best and most comprehensively preserved, featuring the remains of the rampart wall along with five fully preserved towers and the small ruins of a further four towers. This section of the fortifications is lined along its entire length on the inner side by a continuous rampart walk, whilst on the outer side a row of plots with detached houses adjoins the rampart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entire fortifications of the town of Sabinov were based on a unified design consisting of a circular rampart reinforced by regularly spaced towers, and their layout closely resembled that of the fortifications the nearby \u0160ari\u0161 Castle,<\/strong> which is similarly punctuated at regular intervals by projecting late-Gothic towers with a dominant semicircular ground plan. Their design incorporated a defensive strategy almost identical to that of the fortifications at Sabinov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Architectural and historical research by Ing. arch. Martin B\u00f3na, Mgr. Michal \u0160imkovic and Ing. Peter Glos
Photo source:OOCR R\u0160<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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