City gates
Build a city gate like the ones that still stand in Europe: a tower gate, a gate between two towers, a Roman gate with tiers of arches, a water gate, a gate with a barbican, a fortress gate in an earth rampart, a round harbour tower, a Moorish gate or a triumphal arch. Choose the arch, the towers, the roof, a portcullis, a moat with a drawbridge and a stretch of city wall. Below you can see how everything is calculated.
Point at a block for the explanation. Click a block to mark it as placed. The side view shows the section at the chosen column, Layer shows the chosen layer from above.
Build plan
Per layer
| Layer | Parts | Blocks |
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A number is the count of blocks of that part in that layer, in the colour of the part. Click a layer to see it from above.
Build tips
- A city gate was the weakest spot of the town wall. That is why it got towers, a portcullis and often a moat with a drawbridge.
- Glass in windows is always 1 block thick. In a thick wall the rest of the opening stays air.
3D and layer-by-layer build plan
To Minecraft
Download the city gate as a schematic file and paste it with WorldEdit, or build it with a hologram in Litematica. The portcullis, chains, glass, banners and water come along.
How it is calculated
History and fun facts
Roman city gates
The Romans gave their towns walls with strong gates. The Porta Nigra in Trier was built around 170 AD from large blocks of sandstone, without mortar between them. It has two passages, so traffic could go in and out of the town at the same time, and two towers on the field side.
In the Middle Ages the gate became a church. In the early 19th century Napoleon had the church removed, so the Roman gate came back into view. Over the centuries the stone turned black; that is where the name 'black gate' comes from.
The weakest spot of the wall
From the 12th century on, towns all over Europe built stone walls. The gate was the weakest spot, so it got extra protection: a gatehouse, a portcullis, heavy doors, a moat and a drawbridge.
The Helpoort in Maastricht is the oldest city gate in the Netherlands that still stands. It belongs to the wall the town was allowed to build around 1229. In the evening the gates closed; anyone who came too late had to sleep outside.
Brick Gothic in the north
In northern Germany and the Low Countries there was little natural stone, so people built with brick. The Holstentor in Lübeck was built from 1464 to 1478, with two round towers and pointed caps. It was printed on the old 50 German mark note.
The Eastern Gate in Delft was built around 1400. It has two slender octagonal towers with tall spires and stands by the water, with a drawbridge in front.
Water gates
Many towns lay on rivers and canals. A water gate let ships into the town and could be shut at night with a wooden grille down into the water. The Koppelpoort in Amersfoort, from around 1425, is a land gate and a water gate in one.
The Waterpoort in Sneek dates from 1613. It guarded the way in over the water and has become the symbol of the town.
Barbicans
A barbican lies in front of the real gate. Attackers who got through the first gate stood in a small walled yard and could be shot at from all sides.
The Amsterdamse Poort in Haarlem, from around 1355, is the only city gate of Haarlem that still stands, with its barbican in front. In Kraków a round barbican from 1498 stands in front of St. Florian's Gate.
Gates in fortress ramparts
When cannons became stronger, in the 16th and 17th centuries, towns got low earth ramparts with bastions. The gate became a tunnel through the rampart, with a decorated front and a bridge over a wide moat.
Naarden is a well-known example of such a fortress town. The Utrechtse Poort that stands there now was built in 1877 in a classical style.
Ceremonial gates and triumphal arches
Some gates were only meant to impress. The Porte Saint-Denis in Paris was built in 1672 for the victories of King Louis XIV, on the spot of an old city gate.
The Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid was finished in 1778, ordered by King Charles III. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was built from 1788 to 1791, with columns and on top a chariot with four horses: the quadriga.
Moorish gates in Spain
In the south of Spain the Moors built gates with a horseshoe arch: an arch that is wider than the opening below it. A rectangular frame, the alfiz, often runs around the arch.
The Gate of Justice of the Alhambra in Granada was built in 1348. A hand is carved on the outer arch and a key on the inner arch.
Harbour towers
Port towns guarded their harbour with towers by the water. The Drommedaris in Enkhuizen was built in 1540 as part of the defences. A passage runs under it and a carillon hangs in the tower.
The Hoofdtoren in Hoorn from 1532 guarded the harbour of that town in the same way.
Did you know?
- A portcullis was dropped down slots in the wall and raised again with a winch and chains.
- Napoleon took the quadriga of the Brandenburg Gate to Paris in 1806. In 1814 it came back to Berlin.
- In the 19th century many Dutch towns pulled down their gates, because they were in the way of traffic and of the growing town.
- The towers of the Holstentor sank into the soft ground. That is why the gate leans a little.
- In the passage of many gates there were holes in the ceiling. Defenders could drop stones or hot water on attackers through them.
About this tool
With this Minecraft city gate generator you build a city gate after the gates that still stand in Europe. You choose from nine kinds: a tower gate, a gate with two flanking towers, a Roman gate with tiers of arches, a water gate over a canal, a gate with a barbican, a fortress gate in an earth rampart, a round harbour tower, a Moorish gate with a horseshoe arch and a triumphal arch with one, three or five passages.
You set the width and height of the passage and the shape of the arch: round, pointed, segmental, basket, horseshoe or flat. The towers are square, round or octagonal, with a spire, a low pyramid roof, a dome or battlements. The gatehouse gets a gable roof, stepped gables, a hip roof, a tall spire or battlements, with or without machicolations. A portcullis, open gate leaves, a clock, a coat of arms, a moat with a stone bridge or a drawbridge and a stretch of city wall finish the gate.
Fifteen examples help you start, such as the Holstentor in Lübeck, the Eastern Gate in Delft, the Koppelpoort in Amersfoort, the Porta Nigra in Trier, the Gate of Justice of the Alhambra and the Brandenburg Gate. You see the gate from the front, from above, as a section and in 3D, with a build plan for every layer.
The tool counts the blocks per kind and converts them into stacks. With Stairs and slabs the roofs become smooth. With the .schem download you paste the gate into your world with WorldEdit or Litematica. This way you build a city gate in Minecraft that fits your castle or town. For the rest of the fortress there are Castles, Star forts and Towers.
Frequently asked questions
How wide should a city gate be in Minecraft?
A player is 1 block wide and 2 high, 3 high on a horse. A gate 3 wide and 4 high is the smallest that looks right. With 4 or 5 wide and a pointed or round arch the gate looks really big, and a cart fits through.
How do I make a portcullis?
Use iron bars: they join into a grid by themselves. Put them in the second row of the passage and let them hang halfway or all the way down. For a water gate the tool uses a dark oak fence down into the water.
Can the drawbridge really move?
Not by itself. The tool builds the bridge down or raised against the gate, with chains. If you want a moving bridge, you can replace the planks with blocks that pistons move with redstone.
How many blocks do I need?
It is shown at the top under Total, with the stacks. A small tower gate is about 1,500 blocks, a gate with two towers and a stretch of city wall easily 4,000 to 5,000. Add the gate to your shopping list to see everything per kind of block.
How do I build a nice round tower next to the gate?
Choose Gate with two flanking towers and set the shape to Round. A tower 7 to 11 wide looks best. Build the ring of one block first, then the floors every 5 layers, and the spire last. For separate towers there is the Towers tool.
Can I build this in Bedrock?
Yes. The front view and the build plan per layer work in every version. The .schem file is for Java Edition with WorldEdit or Litematica.