St John Gate

St John Gate was one of the four town walls in Stargard. Today, the only remnant of the gate building dating back to around 1450 is the road tunnel. Named after the nearby church of St John the Baptist, the gate structure included the gatehouse, the drawbridge, the gate neck and the outer gate. It was similar in appearance to the Pyrzycka Gate. From 1721, the vertical extension of the gate was used as prison which in 1820 was converted into lunatic asylum (psychiatric hospital). In 1842, as part of the dismantlement of some of the town ramparts, the gate was demolished and the tunnel became part of the traffic system. The Griffonet holds a halberd which symbolises the town guards watching over and controlling St John Gate.