City Go

The Fernandine wall was built by order of King D. Afonso V in 1336, replacing the old medieval wall which was becoming too small as the city expanded. It was named after D.Fernando, his grandson, as it was concluded during his reign a few decades later. The walls had a perimeter of 2600m and encircled an area of 44.5 hectares. As it lost military importance from the 18th century on the wall was progressively dismantled. However, it was in the 19th century that most of the destruction took place, to give way to new squares, streets and buildings. The entry to the wall is close to Oporto Cathedral, through a door of Santa Clara's church. The wall provides one of the most magnificent views of the city and the river. Opening hours: Mon. to Fri. from 9 am to 5 pm.

Mdina was founded by the Phoenicians, in the 8th century BC, and later occupied by the Romans. The city was defended by walls since the beginning but very few remains from this period have survived. The present walls started taking shape sometime after the fall of the Western Roman Empire when, for defensive purposes, a retrenchment was built within the city, reducing it to its present size. In 870 the city was conquered by the Arabs, who killed its population and destroyed its fortress, leaving Mdina uninhabited for almost two centuries. The city was resettled in the mid 11th century and the walls were rebuilt. However, these didn't prevent the city from being conquered by Roger I of Sicily in 1230. During the Middle Ages, the walls were built and rebuilt several times and by the 15th century, most of Mdina's enceinte had a system of double walls which were reinforced out of fear of an Ottoman attack. Despite all the improvements, by the 16th century, the walls were consi...

Mdina walls have three gates: the Mdina Gate, the Greeks Gate and the Gharreqin Gate. The Main Gate, also known as Vilhena gate, was built in 1724, under Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, who in 1722 ordered the renovation and restoration of Mdina. The courtyard behind the main gate was demolished to make way for the Vilhena Palace and a new gate had to be built, a few meters to the left of the old one, which was walled up. The Gate has reliefs of Saint Agatha, Saint Paul and Saint Publius, the three patron saints of Malta. The Greeks Gate is the oldest of the three Gates, dating back to medieval times. It was also renovated in 1724 when an outer portal was built in the baroque style. It is known as the Greeks Gate because a small community of Greeks once lived by the gate. For many years it was the only gate by which the slaves were allowed to enter Mdina. The Gharreqin Gate is the less known and most recent of the three Gates. It was excavated in...

Any remains of the two original walls in Paris have long disappeared. The first wall was built in the 3rd century to protect the Ile de la Cité from barbarian invasions. A second wall was built in the 9th century. By the end of the 12th century, Paris had grown out of its original walls and King Philippe II Auguste was in a conflict with the Anglo-Norman House of Plantagenet. To protect the city from English attacks the king ordered a new wall to be built. This wall had 17 semi-cylindrical towers and four fortified towers on both banks of the river Seine. To consolidate the west side a fortress was also built- the Louvre . The right bank was fortified before the left bank, probably for strategic reasons, as the left bank was less urbanised and less threatened. Outside the Louvre, the main remnants of this fortress can be found in Saint Paul's Gardens. Opening hours: Wed.-Mon., 11am-7pm (Saint Paul's Gardens) Entrance free at Saint Paul's Gardens Related:   Lo...

Saint George Gate was part of the Venetian defence walls and was built in 1565. It was named after an imposing relief representing Saint George on his horse, which today is exhibited in the Historical Museum of Heraklion. It was also known as Lazaretto Gate, after a hospital for contagious diseases nearby. The original facade of the gate, demolished in 1917, was decorated with coats of arms and lions carved in relief. It laid buried under Eleftherias Square for many decades but has recently been unearthed and restored. The vaulted 45m long gallery often hosts exhibitions of painters, photographers, sculptors, etc. Heraklion

The hilltop where the castle stands probably had walls since Roman times. However, the remains that can be seen today date from two main periods. The old walls, or Moorish walls, were built on top of whatever walls existed at the time, between the 10th century and 1147, when Lisbon was reconquered by the first king of Portugal. In this period only the castle and Alfama neighbourhood existed and the walls were rebuilt as the Christian threat from the north intensified. Later, in the late 13th and 14th centuries, D. Dinis and D. Fernando ordered the walls to be repaired and enlarged, to address both the expansion of the city and the growing tension with Castille. Segments of the Moorish wall can be seen close to the castle and in Alfama neighbourhood; the remains of the wall from D.Dinis reign can be seen at the Money Museum while the remains from D. Fernando period can be seen in Espaço Chiado, a shopping centre, and in Largo Martim Moniz.  Back to Lisbon ...