# 10 Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Krakow, POLAND

Originally designed in 1257 - the year Kraków was awarded its charter – the grid-like layout of the Old Town and its central square has changed little in the years that have followed. Measuring 200 metres square, the Rynek ranks as one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, and is surrounded by elegant townhouses, all with their own unique names, histories and curiosities. Through the centuries it was in Kraków’s Rynek that homage to the king was sworn and public executions held.

Most famously it was here that Tadeusz Kościuszko roused the locals to revolt against foreign rule in 1794. The Rynek has always been the natural stage for public celebrations, with everything from parades of sausage dogs to Christmas crib competitions taking place. Not all the events have had been happy affairs however, and back in the 17th century King Jan Sobieski III was privy to a firework display which ended in bloodshed when some of the explosives were accidentally fired into the crowd.

More recently the market square was subjected to a Nazi rally attended by Der Führer himself when  the square’s name was changed to ‘Adolf Hitler Platz’ during German occupation. Fortunately the moniker didn’t last long and today the Rynek occupies itself by hosting annual Christmas and Easter markets, as well as numerous festivals and outdoor concerts.

Taking centre stage is the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice). Built in the 14th century this huge hall was effectively the first shopping mall in the world. To this day it is still crammed with merchant stalls selling amber, lace, woodwork and assorted tourist tat. In 2010, Rynek Underground (see our box) - a 4,000m2, hi-tech museum tracing the history of the Cloth Hall, and that of the entire city - opened underneath it, while the second floor hosts the underrated 19th Century Polish Art Gallery.

Directly next to the Sukiennice stands Poland’s most eminent scribe:Adam Mickiewicz. Ironically, the bard never visited the city until after his death when his remains were transferred to the Wawel Cathedral crypt, but this hasn’t stopped the statue from becoming one of Kraków’s best loved monuments. Across from Mickiewicz looms the magnificent St. Mary’s Basilica, its crowning glory being Veit Stoss’ altarpiece. The area surrounding the Basilica was formerly a cemetery, and the bodies of hundreds of Cracovians still lie beneath the cobbles. Ghoulish tourists will also appreciate the set of metal neck restraints displayed on the side door of St Mary’s, formerly used to punish philandering women.

On the square’s other side is the 70 metre Town Hall Tower, the only element of the 14th century Town Hall remaining after many fires, renovations and uncaring demolitions. From April until the end of October, visitors can ascend up to the 3rd floor through Gothic vaulted rooms which contain, amongst other things, 1960s photographs of Kraków and look out on the square below from the viewing point.

Measuring 650 ft x 650 ft (200m by 200m), Kraków's Rynek Główny is the largest medieval town square in Europe and one of the finest urban designs of its kind. It s layout, based on that of a castrum (Roman military camp), was drawn up in 1257 and has been retained to this day, though the buildings have changed substantially over the centuries.

Most of them now look neoclassical, but don't let the façades confuse you - the basic structures are much older, as can be seen by their doorways, architectural details and interiors. Here you will find the Cloth Hall (the world's oldest shopping mall at 700 years), the 13th century Gothic Town Hall Tower,  the magnificent 14th century Gothic Basilica of the Virgin Mary, and the small church of St Adalbert, some of which dates back to the 11th century.  

Europe's largest medieval marketplace is on a par in size and grandeur with St. Mark's Square in Venice. It even has the same plague of pigeons, although legend tells us the ones here are no ordinary birds: they are allegedly the spirits of the knights of Duke Henry IV Probus, who in the 13th century were cursed and turned into birds. This great square was not always so spacious. In an earlier period it contained—in addition to the present buildings—a Gothic town hall, a Renaissance granary, a large weighing house, a foundry, a pillory, and hundreds of traders' stalls. A few flower sellers under colorful umbrellas and some portable souvenir stalls are all that remain of this bustling commercial activity. Above all, Rynek is Krakow's largest outdoor cafe, from spring through autumn, with more than 20 cafes scattered around the perimeter of the square.

A pageant of history has passed through this square. From 1320 on, Polish kings came here on the day after their coronation to meet the city's burghers and receive homage and tribute in the name of all the towns of Poland. Albert Hohenzollern, the grand master of the Teutonic Knights, came here in 1525 to pay homage to Sigismund the Old, King of Poland. And in 1794 Tadeusz Kosciuszko took a solemn vow to overthrow czarist Russia here.

The square is surrounded by many historic buildings. The Dom pod Jeleniami (House at the Sign of the Stag), at No. 36, was once an inn where both Goethe and Czar Nicholas I found shelter. At No. 45 is the Dom pod Orlem (House at the Sign of the Eagle), where Tadeusz Kosciuszko lived as a young officer in 1777; a little farther down the square, at No. 6, is the Szara Kamienica (Gray House), which he made his staff headquarters in 1794. In the house at No. 9, the young Polish noblewoman Maryna Mniszchowna married the False Dymitri, the pretender to the Russian throne, in 1605. (These events are portrayed in Pushkin's play Boris Godunov and in Mussorgsky's operatic adaptation of it.) At No. 16 is the 14th-century house of the Wierzynek merchant family. In 1364, during a "summit" meeting attended by the Holy Roman Emperor, one of the Wierzyneks gave an elaborate feast for the visiting royal dignitaries; today the house is a restaurant.

Wieza Ratuszowa. At the southwest corner of Rynek Square, the Wieza Ratuszowa is all that remains of the 16th-century town hall, which was demolished in the early 19th century. The tower houses a branch of the Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa (Krakow History Museum) and affords a panoramic view of the old city. Although the museum and tower are closed during the winter, it's possible to organize a group visit. Rynek Glowny.

Krakow’s central Grand Square (Rynek Glowny, often translated wrongly as “Main Market”) has been the hub of the city ever since its Old Town historical district got the present grid of streets in the 13th century. The huge 10-acre square, the largest of all Europe’s medieval cities, is a curio in itself. At the same time, it is arguably one of the world’s most beautiful plazas. 

Historical monuments at the Rynek Glowny grand square. 

Krakow's chief landmarks at the Rynek Glowny central square are the 16th-century Renaissance Cloth Hall in the center, the 13th-century Gothic Town Hall Tower, the magnificent 14th-century Gothic basilica of the Virgin Mary’s with its astonishingGreat Altar and the tiny church of St. Adalbert's whose parts date back to the 11th century. Yet practically all the Grand Square’s 47 buildings boast a considerable historical and/or architectural value. And one cannot but regret that some edifices once standing amid it were pulled down during the 19th century, notably the 14th-century Gothic Town Hall. 

Still Krakow's hub of the city life. 

Now as in the Middle Ages the Grand Square is the focus of the city life. Krakow residents and visitors come here to meet each other, to do business, to shop in numerous stores, and to enjoy themselves in myriad restaurants, cafés and clubs. Krakow’s forum serves also as the city’s most popular site of open-air events – musical, theatrical, commercial, political, etc