The occurrence of wastelands in the old town areas of Poznań and Kołobrzeg is associated with, among others, the military operations carried out in their respective areas in 1945. The enormous scale of destruction left a permanent mark on the urban structure of both old towns and the different reconstruction strategies led to the creation of urban gaps of a different character. The paper presents the identification and spatial and functional analysis of wastelands and the diagnosis of their social and visual impact. The method of comparative analysis, supported by mapping tools and a study visit to both cities, allowed to create a set of characteristics of unused plots and to recognise the spatial patterns occur-ring on them. Such an approach to the subject of wastelands highlights their problems and potentials and, as a result, can influence the targeted strategies in the planning documents of both cities