Gothic square and walls
In 1376, under the reign of Louis I., Bardejov finally became a free royal town. The town’s independence and a peaceful life of its traders and craftsmen were secured by fortifications consisting of impregnable gates, sturdy watchtowers and a surrounding moat filled with water. The entry gates were guarded by a drawbridge and since the sixteenth century also by a barbican. The city center has a rectangle profile and is dominated by the Basilica of Saint Egidius, the Town Hall and a row of burghers’ houses which sport typical period gables.
