City walls of Neubrandenburg

The city wall of Neubrandenburg stands in the town centre of Neubrandenburg in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, it is the best-preserved brick-gothic town fortification in Europe. Parts of the wall, the Fangelturm tower and the four town gates are protected monuments. The medieval defences were first made of palisades and earthworks in 1260. By around 1300 these were replaced by brick walls up to 7.50 metres high, stretching 2.3 kilometres in total. The northern Fangelturm, also called the Mönchenturm, served as the town prison until the 19th century. Four stone gatehouses were added over time, each leading to different towns. After the Thirty Years War the wall lost its military role and became a customs boundary. Today visitors walk along the 2.3-kilometre circuit of the brick wall and its 25 reconstructed watch-houses. The four gothic gatehouses still stand: the Friedländer Tor, the Neue Tor, the Stargarder Tor and the Treptower Tor. The Fangelturm tower can be entered, and the surrounding wall and gates have been restored in recent decades. The medieval structure forms a green ring around the town centre, linking the four gates with the surviving tower.