City gate facts for kids

The Holstentor a medieval city gate of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. Today a World Heritage Site.

A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.

Uses

City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals. Depending on their historical context they filled functions relating to defense, security, health, trade, taxation, and representation, and were correspondingly staffed by military or municipal authorities. The city gate was also commonly used to display diverse kinds of public information such as announcements, tax and toll schedules, standards of local measures, and legal texts. It could be heavily fortified, ornamented with heraldic shields, sculpture or inscriptions, or used as a location for warning or intimidation.

City gates, in one form or another, can be found across the world in cities dating back to ancient times to around the 19th century. Many cities would close their gates after a certain curfew each night, for example a bigger one like Prague or a smaller one like Flensburg, in the north of Germany.

With increased stability and freedom, many walled cities removed such fortifications as city gates, although many still survive; albeit for historic interest rather than security. Many surviving gates have been heavily restored, rebuilt or new ones created to add to the appearance of a city.

Images for kids

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  Kent Gate is a city gate at the ramparts of Quebec

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  Depiction of a guard checking a salesperson's papers at a city gate

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  Bab Agnaou is a city gate in Marrakesh

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  Zhengyangmen is a city gate in Beijing

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  Damascus Gate is one of several gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.

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  Brusselpoort is a city gate in Mechelen

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  Písek Gate is a city gate in Prague

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  Germans' Gate is a bridge castle and city gate in Reims

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  Brandenburg Gate is a monument and city gate in Berlin

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  Lion Gate is a city gate of a Bronze Age citadel in Mycenae

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  Archi di Porta Nuova is a medieval city gate in Milan

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  Porta San Giovanni is a city gate at the Aurelian Wall in Rome

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  City Gate (Valletta)City Gate (Valletta) at the fortifications of Valletta in Valletta

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  Green Gate is a city gate in Gdańsk

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  Stargard Mill Gate is a city and watergate in Stargard

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  Arco da Porta Nova is a city gate in Braga

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  The Second Military Gate is a city at the Walls of Constantinople

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  The main gate at Machu Picchu

See also

In Spanish: Puerta de la ciudad para niños