List of cities with defensive walls


The following cities have, or historically had, defensive walls.

Africa

Algeria

See List of Egypt castles, forts, fortifications and city walls.
File:Aït Benhaddou1.jpg|right|thumb|The Kasbah of Aït Benhaddou, High Atlas

Morocco

Canada

Chile

Afghanistan

Indonesia

Pakuan Pajajaran, the capital of the Sunda Kingdom, was surrounded by defensive moats and walls. Now the area is part of the modern city of Bogor.
An 18th century wall made by Hamengkubuwono the 1st from the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Kingdom to protect the inner capital city from the Dutch and other enemies during the Mataram Kingdom period. Today, 96% of the wall still exists and is a local landmark.
On 17 February 1745, the Surakarta Kingdom moved to a new opened forest named Sala Village and build their Royal Residential Palace and urban area with a 15 kilometers long of "Beteng Kraton" or Palace wall around it. As of 2022, 90% of the city walls still remain.
Well known as Banten Kingdom's capital. The wall was destroyed by the Dutch during its colonial period in the way to ended the Banten reign. The city wall that left is only about 10% from the real appearance.
Trowulan was the capital of the former Majapahit Empire. When its glory period, the capital being a first European systemized ancient city in Indonesia, because Trowulan was developed in Majapahit's glory period in 13th–15th century.
The wall was protecting the inner "Kraton" or royal palace and some important places. Today the wall can't be seen as the original appearance.

Iran

Almost every old city in Pakistan had a defensive wall. Much of these walls were destroyed by the British in order to refortify the cities. Few cities which were fortified are:
Some other towns were fortified with thorny bamboo in the Qing era.

Thailand

Albania

Azerbaijan

  • Baku retains most of the city walls that separate the historic Inner City from the newer parts of the city developed after the 19th century.
  • Shaki
  • Shusha

    Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

  • Fredericia, extensive renaissance ramparts to the north and west of the city and sea facing ramparts.
  • Copenhagen, extensive renaissance ramparts to the south and east, trace remains to the north and west, nice fort at the harbor mouth, three small island fortlets outside the harbor entrance.
  • Nyborg – the remains include three preserved bastions, a town gate and the old town is still mostly surrounded by a moat indicating the locations of the other bastions.
  • Stege, One of the town gates, the Mølleporten, still remains. Most of the earthwork rampart and dry ditch surrounding the town center still remain.

    Estonia

  • Pärnu, a rampart with two bastions, a moat and a town gate remain to the west of the old town. It is now transformed into a park, the Valli Park.
  • Tallinn, see Tallinn City Walls, most of the wall and towers remains
  • Tartu, very few sections remained
  • Narva, see Narva Bastions, nine bastions and the castle, with Hermann Castle and Victoria Bastion completely restored

    Finland

  • Hamina Surrounded by about 4–5 km long star-shaped walled fortification
  • Lappeenranta The old center of the town is located inside a fortress
  • Loviisa It was planned to build a full fortress around the town, but only two bastions were complete
  • Suomenlinna An inhabited sea fortress off the coast of Helsinki

    France

Germany

Many towns and cities still retain at least parts of their defensive walls, including:
PlaceCountyConditionImageNotes
ArdeeCounty Louth
AthenryCounty Galway
AthloneCounty Westmeath
BandonCounty Cork
CarlingfordCounty Louth
CashelCounty Tipperary
ClonmelCounty Tipperary
CorkCounty Cork
DroghedaCounty LouthSaint Laurence Gate, Drogheda is an original barbican dating from the 13th century. Another town gate survives in Drogheda, the Buttergate. It is thought to have been used as a pedestrian entrance to the town as no road ran to or from it.
FethardCounty TipperaryStill retains over a kilometer of medieval town wall – 90% of the circuit. Some sections survive to a height of over.
DublinCounty Dublin
GalwayCounty Galway
KilkennyCounty Kilkenny
Kilmallock
LimerickCounty Limerick
New RossCounty Wexford
Rindoon / LecarrowCounty RoscommonThe best preserved abandoned medieval town in Ireland
TrimCounty Meath
WaterfordCounty Waterford
WexfordCounty Wexford
YoughalCounty Cork

Italy

Monaco

Norway

File:Дербентская цитадель. Дербент.jpg|thumb|The Sasanian fortress in Derbent.
;City walls
;Kremlins
;City walls
;Citadels and castles

England

PlaceCountyConditionImageNotes
AlnwickNorthumberlandGrade 1 listed Bondgate and section of wall remain of medieval defences, Pottergate Tower is C18 rebuild of medieval gate and may incorporate some medieval fabric.
BathSomersetSeveral fragments of the medieval wall still survive. The East Gate is the only remaining gateway.The length of wall opposite the Mineral Water Hospital is largely a reconstruction of the medieval wall. By far the best length, over 160 ft, could until 1963 be seen on the site cleared by an air-raid in 1940. This was the SE corner of the medieval city. The remains of this wall now lie buried below the shops of Stall Street.
Berwick-upon-TweedNorthumberlandThe Elizabethan ramparts with their bastions, gateways and earthworks survive.Spades Mire is an earthwork linear ditches, possibly forming an outer line of defence for medieval Berwick. Situated on the south side of the ditch are traces of an accompanying rampart, now much spread and up to 13m wide. The Lord's Mount is a massive curved stone bulwark which was built in the 1540s to protect the town walls at their weakest point.
BridgnorthShropshireThe North Gate is still present, the site of the former Postern Gate still very visible; and parts of the wall now form garden walls in various parts of the town.Bridgnorth's town walls were initially constructed in timber between 1216 and 1223; murage grants allowed them to be upgraded to stone between the 13th and 15th centuries.
BristolBristolMost of the walls were demolished in 1760, although traces and one city gate remain.The walls were initially raised by Geoffrey de Montbray, a Norman nobleman who built Bristol Castle.
CanterburyKentOver half of the original circuit survives, including Westgate, the largest surviving city gate in England.Originally fortified by the Romans.
CarlisleCumbriaThe castle and western walls largely survive.
ChesterCheshireMostly intactThe city walls are one of the city's biggest tourist attractions. They were originally built by the Romans and continue to form a complete ring around much of the present-day city centre.
ChichesterWest SussexThe original Roman city wall was over 6 1⁄2 foot thick with a steep ditch. It survived for over one and a half thousand years but was then replaced by a thinner Georgian wall.
ColchesterEssexApproximately half of the walls remain.The town was surrounded by a wall built by the Romans after Boudica had sacked the town.
CoventryWest MidlandsTwo gates survive, connected by a section of wall that runs through Lady Herbert's Garden. Other small fragments dotted around the city centre, mainly hidden by modern buildings, include the remains of a bastion near Upper Well Street. Several fragments have been incorporated into newer buildings, including the Town Wall Tavern.The walls were mostly demolished in 1662.
DurhamCounty DurhamThe Castle formed the largest part of Durham's defences, with the neighbouring "Backgate", demolished in the 1760s, which sat across Sadler Street. This was accompanied by a Gaol, which survived until the 1840s, remains of which are present in an alley off Sadler Street. Other walls surrounding the centre of Durham survive between the River Wear, and the houses lining a number of thoroughfares: Sadler Street, North Bailey, South Bailey, and Palace Green. The street names North Bailey and South Bailey are testament to this fact.It is debatable just how defensive these walls were, and some parts have since become garden walls. The archway of a Water Gate survives where South Bailey meets Prebends' Bridge.
ExeterDevonThe walls comprise Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval elements. 72% of the circuit survives.
Great YarmouthNorfolkAbout two-thirds of the wall remains. Of the original eighteen towers, eleven survive.The walls date back to the Middle Ages.
HartlepoolCounty DurhamDating from the late 14th century, the limestone wall once enclosed the whole of the medieval town.
HerefordHerefordshire
Kingston upon HullEast Riding of Yorkshire
LeicesterLeicestershireMostly demolished in the 16th century.The city walls were originally built by the Romans and most of them still remained by the 15th century, however archaeological evidence suggests that they were partially destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, including after the 1173 rebellion.
LincolnLincolnshireFragmentary remains.
LondonGreater LondonFragments of London's Wall, the wall that once surrounded the Roman town of Londinium, are still visible just outside the Museum of London and at Tower Hill in the City of London.
LudlowShropshireGood lengths of the wall remain and a number of the gates too
Newcastle upon TyneTyne and WearMuch of the town wall was demolished during the late 18th and early 19th centuries but several sections still remain.
NorwichNorfolk
OxfordOxfordshireMajor fragments are preserved in the gardens of New College and Merton College and as part of the exterior wall of Pembroke College on Brewer Street.
RochesterKentThe city walls were first built by the Romans.
RyeEast SussexIn 1377 the town was sacked by the French, after which the city walls were completed as a defence against foreign raiders.
SalisburyWiltshireAround the original medieval city, including the cathedral and the close.
ShrewsburyShropshireOne long section remains along the 'Town Walls' road; other shorter sections exist, such as behind Newport House on Dogpole, and near Shrewsbury Castle.
SouthamptonHampshireLengthy sections of Southampton town walls remain, especially to the south and west.
WarehamDorsetWareham town defences consist of an earthen rampart and ditch.The best preserved Saxon town walls in England.
WarwickWarwickshireTwo of the three main gates of the Norman town wall survive.
WinchelseaEast SussexThree of four gateways survive from the walls built c. 1415; Strand Gate, Pipewell or Land Gate and New Gate.
WinchesterHampshireWalls fragmentary, but traceable throughout their length. Repaired in 14th and 15th centuries. Limestone rubble. South east corner of full height complete with battlements. Walls shared by the city, Wolvesey Palace, Cathedral Close and Wolvesey Castle. Two gates remain. Wall ran along line of Roman Wall."
WorcesterWorcestershireRemains of the Worcester city walls can still be seen
YorkNorth Yorkshirethe extensive city walls are the longest and most complete in England, lacking only a few short sections and most of the posterns.

Northern Ireland

Scotland

PlaceConditionImageNotes
DundeeOnly one section of the city walls remainFirst constructed in 1545, the Wishart Arch.
EdinburghFragments of the 16th-century Flodden Wall and 17th-century Telfer Wall remain.Walls were first constructed in the 12th century, although none of these remain today.
Stirling5 significant segments of the 16th century town wall remain, including two defensive bastions.The irregular 7m high and 1.8m thick wall was constructed to defend the southern and western approaches to the town, and today is bordered by the public walkway "the back walk"
St AndrewsOnly two city gates remain.

Wales