One of the surviving gates of the old city walls, standing where the medieval town ended and the coronation route began.
What it costs
Free to stand under — it spans a public street and you walk through the arch at ground level without paying.
Ticketed to climb. The stair leads to a gallery with a view along Celetná into the Old Town on one side and over Náměstí Republiky on the other. It is a stair, not a lift.
When to go
The arch is open all the time. The climb has opening hours and closes earlier in winter. It is one of the least crowded towers in the centre.
Getting there
Metro B to Náměstí Republiky. The tower is immediately outside the station, attached to the Municipal House.
If you only have an hour
Climb it. It is one of the few towers in the centre without a queue, and the view along Celetná explains the shape of the Old Town better than a map does. Then walk through the arch into the Municipal House next door and have a coffee under the chandeliers.
What people get wrong
The name is literal — it was used to store gunpowder in the seventeenth century, long after it stopped being a gate that mattered. Most of the decoration you see is a nineteenth-century restoration, not medieval stonework.
Nearby
Ticketing arrangements and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 4 September 2026. Prices and hours change without much warning — confirm with the site itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.