Jutting from the Svalich Woods on both sides of the Old Svalich Road, the Gates of Barovia were composed of high stone buttresses and huge iron gates. Rust and wear were evident on these walls, uncared for since the beginning of the reign of Strahd von Zarovich. Two enormous statues of armed guardians flanked the gates, spears in hands, with their heads lying among the weeds at their feet.
Two sets of these gates were built, and they closely resembled each other. Both were in eastern Barovia; one was positioned just west of the Black Carriage Crossroads, and the other east of the Village of Barovia. This, at one point, represented the full domain of the von Zarovich family, though through military efforts their domain would eventually extend far past these points.