The Barbican of Warsaw, is one of few remaining relics of the complex network of historic fortifications and defensive barriers encircling
the city of Warsaw. It currently serves as a tourist attraction, and is located between the Old and the New Town.
The barbican was erected in 1548 in place of an older gate to protect the Nowomiejska Street. It was designed by Jan Baptist the Venetian, an Italian Renaissance architect who lived and worked in the Mazowsze region of 16th century Poland.
During World War II, particularly the Siege of Warsaw (1939) and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the barbican was mostly destroyed, as were most of the buildings in the Old Town.
It was rebuilt after the war, during 1952-1954, on the basis of 17th century etchings. In its reconstruction, bricks were used from historic buildings demolished in the cities of Nysa and Wroclaw.