Lublin, the largest city east of the Vistula River, has had a long and eventful history. The first settlers appeared here in the 6th c. but it was in 1317 that Lublin received a municipal charter from King Ladislaus I the Elbow-high and became a town. The oldest historic building in Lublin and in the whole region is the 13th-century fortified tower on the Castle Hill. Over centuries Lublin's architecture developed in a variety of styles ranging from Romanesque to contemporary modern, and in many forms and functions: sacral and secular, defensive and residential, private and municipal. The Architectural Trail calls on the most outstanding buildings designed by famous architects and erected by renowned master builders.