Stone, brick, earth, wood

Bastioned fortresses, just like medieval fortresses before them, had their own unique architectural expression. Renaissance and Baroque elements played an important part and fortresses often referred to Roman models and associations. Distinct, heavy and oversized bossage, allegorical sculptures with huge Latin antique inscriptions were to command respect of every person entering the fortress. If bastions* were masonry-faced, they looked from the front as if they were bows of huge ships aimed at the attacking enemy. They evoked fear with their very size. As a rule, bastions did not have any ornaments, apart from a cornice which cut off the masonry-faced part from an earthen embankment or a masonry breastwork. The only exception was the most protruding corner of the face of the bastion. Just like a bow of a ship was decorated with a figurehead, these parts of bastions were also decorated with allegorical sculptures and inscriptions. Sometimes it was a shield with the fortress ruler’s of founder’s coat of arms. Sometimes it was a figure of a saint, e.g. that of Saint George or Archangel Michael. This place, however, played an important part in a psychological war. In the 17th century, when the Republic of Poland was at war with Turkey many times, on bastion corners there were terrifying, naturalistic sculptures featuring Turks’ heads cut off from the bodies, staring at attackers with vacant dead eyes as if saying: “Only death awaits you here”.