The Krakowska Gate, one of the symbols of the city, was constructed in the 14th century along with the city walls. Its name originates from the historic route leading from Cracow via Lublin to Vilnius. It was an observation point for the fire brigade, and the city's bugle-call was played from it as well. It was also inhabited by the clockmaker servicing the gate's clock. The basic framework of the Gothic walls is made of brick and stone, and the superstructure of vitrified brick. The octagonal, plastered tower was construed in the mid-16th century. The structure is covered by a Baroque dome with the SAR /Stanislaus Augustus Rex/ monogram and date 1782, which date back to the period of the gate’s reconstruction carried out by Dominik Merlini.
Its present appearance is a result of the maintenance and construction works in the years 1959-1964 when the gate's historic design was restored and the interiors were adapted to meet the needs of the Museum of History of the city of Lublin.
References:Carlsten is a stone fortress built on the orders of King Carl X of Sweden following the Treaty of Roskilde, 1658 to protect the newly acquired province of Bohuslän from hostile attacks. The site of Marstrand was chosen because of its location and its access to an ice free port. Initially a square stone tower was constructed, but by 1680 it was reconstructed and replaced by a round shaped tower. Successive additions to the fortress were carried out, by the inmates sentenced to hard labour, until 1860 when it was reported finished. The fortress was decommissioned as a permanent defense installation in 1882, but remained in military use until the early 1990s.
The fortress was attacked and sieged twice falling into enemy hands. In 1677 it was conquered by Ulrik Frederick Gyldenløve, the Danish military commander in Norway and in 1719 by the Norwegian Vice-Admiral Tordenskjold. At both occasions the fortress was returned to Swedish control through negotiations and treaties.