Bastion św. Gertrudy, Gdańsk

Bastion św. Gertrudy is a five-sided earthwork whose surviving form belongs to Gdańsk’s old defences. Its unusual living detail is the thorny hawthorn hedge: planted before the First World War by Prussian gunners, it formed a dense barrier against attackers.

The bastion was built from 1607 to 1638 to a design by Antoni van Obberghen, the city’s fortifications engineer. Inside, brick-vaulted casemates once stored powder and ammunition. The bastion connects with the Lowland Gate, built in 1626, and the channel beside the ramparts is the surviving inner moat, dug from 1626 to 1638.

Military use continued until 1920; after that, the ramparts became a place for public walks. The casemates cover about 4,000 square metres and have served as conservation storage since 2014.