In the past, the Grodzka Gate was one of the two main gates located within the town’s defensive walls. Originally it was built in gothic style - the base of the building was of a quadrilateral shape with a foregate, and the structure was topped with a helmet. In the 2nd half of the XVIII century it was rebuilt in a neoclassical style in accordance with the design by Dominik Merlini and thus lost its defensive features. The date MDCCLXXXV and monogram SAR (Stanislaus Augustus Rex - king Stanisław August) on the gate from the side of the old town are the reminders of that change.

It was also a link between the christian and the – now non-existent – jewish part of Lublin, thus its other name – the "Jewish Gate". 

The building is currently the seat of the "Grodzka Gate - NN Theatre" centre, a local cultural institution, whose mission is to protect the cultural heritage of Lublin and the Lublin Region (see: stop 13 of the Heritage Trail of the Lublin Jews)