The Knight Tower (), also known as the Knight House (), is a historic Gothic defensive tower in Warsaw, Poland, at Rycerska Street, in the inner city wall of the Old Town, between Piekarska and Wąski Dunaj Streets. It was built in the 14th century, before 1339, and later expanded at the turn of the 16th century. In 1614, it was turned into a residential building, and it was restored to its historic form between 1958 and 1963.
History The tower was constructed before 1339, as part of the inner city wall of Old Warsaw and Jerzy Łoziński, Andrzej Rottermund (editors): Katalog zabytków sztuki. Miasto Warszawa. Część I – Stare Miasto. Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Artystyczna i Filmowe, 1993, p. 118. ISBN 83-221-0628-9. (in Polish) was used by the city guards.Szkice staromiejskie. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Sztuka, 1955, p. 71. (in Polish) The structure was built in a Gothic style, with a square base and four storeys, and lacking a back wall, which would face the town. Encyklopedia Warszawy. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 48–49. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish) It had wooden ceilings supported on side wall offsets. After 1379, it was expanded with another storey, featuring embrasures, which were later remodelled in the second half of the 15th century, or at the beginning of the 16th century. At the turn of the 17th century, the holes above the first storey were bricked up. In 1614, the city sold it to Adam Leszczyński, who turned it into a residential building.Maria Lewicka: Atlas architektury Starego Miasta w Warszawie. Warsaw: Arkady, 1992, p. 43. ISBN 83-213-3512-8. (in Polish)
The tower was damaged in the Second World War, with an upper half of its southern wall being destroyed. It was renovated between 1958 and 1963. This included the reconstruction of the destroyed wall, restoration of the previously covered embrasures, and clearing out the artefacts of its residential past. In 1965, it was entered into the regional heritage list.Wykaz zabytków nieruchomych wpisanych do rejestru zabytków (księga A) - stan na 31 marca 2025 roku. Woj. mazowieckie. Warsaw: National Institute of Cultural Heritage, 2025, p. 30. (in Polish)
The nearby Rycerska Street (, lit. Knight Street), was named after the tower.Kwiryna Handke: Słownik nazewnictwa Warszawy. Warsaw: Slawistyczny Ośrodek Wydawniczy, 1998, p. 181. ISBN 83-86619-97X. (in Polish) The name was first attested in the 18th century.Kwiryna Handke: Dzieje Warszawy nazwami pisane. Warsaw: Muzeum Historyczne m.st. Warszawy, 2011, s. 178. ISBN 978-83-62189-08-3. (in Polish)
Overview The brick defensive tower has a square base and is five stories tall. The structure faces to the southeast and lacks a back wall. Its façade features numerous embrasures. On the inside, it has wooden ceilings supported on side wall offsets. The structure is attached to a short remaining portion of the historic inner city wall.
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