In 1960 my first year in high school, there were 120 students - a few from Russian, German or Romanian parents and 114 from Polish parents. They all wanted to re-visit Poland by 1970, especially to see Warsaw, Krakow and Lublin.
Town hall tower,
Visit Krakow
Kraków’s Market Square/Rynek in Poland is the centre of the city’s medieval Old Town, designed in 1257 when the town first won its charter. Laid out on a grid, the Old Town and its central square changed little in the centuries that followed. Always active, this 40,000 sq ms grouping of cafés, clubs, music centres, museums, historical landmarks and hotels, shows some lovely medieval architecture. Because the Square is surrounded by elegant townhouses, each with its own name and history, the important historical, cultural and social significance is largely intact.
In summer, umbrella shaded cafés sit along its sides, shaded from the sun by the gothic spires of St Mary’s Basilica. The church was consecrated in 1320, having an imposing façade and flanked by two differently sized towers. Its crowning glory is Stoss altarpiece, carved between 1477-89 by German-born sculptor Veit Stoss and placed behind the high altar. And because the church experienced many reconstructions of its exterior and interior over the centuries, only three of the original high, stained glass windows were preserved. In the C18th the church was decorated with Baroque aesthetics and the wooden door of the galilee was decorated with sculpted heads of prophets, apostles, and Polish saints in 1929. In snowy winter, the square is full of Christmas markets. Visit the square on each hour when St Mary’s Church bugle calls.
St Mary's towers
Veit Stoss Altarpiece
St Mary's Basilica
Cloth Hall
Vecteezy
On the eastern side, the coffee shops are crowded with tourists enjoying the view of the Cloth Hall’s broadside and 70 m leaning Town Hall Tower. Established in the C14th, the 70-meter tower is the only part of the former Town Hall that still stands after fires and renovations. At the top is an observation deck, to get a beautiful view of Kraków. Visitors climb the stairs up to the 3rd floor through Gothic vaulted rooms which display 1960s photos of Kraków and offer a grand panoramic view over the Main Square.
The square’s eastern side is home to street entertainers that do their show at the foot of the Basilica’s red towers. There is the small C10th Church of St Adalbert to the south, an old stone structure that is one of the few well preserved examples of early Christian, Romanesque buildings in Poland. It is next to the middle Gothic arches of the Cloth Hall
Today many of the building façades that line the Main Square have Polish Baroque architecture, despite their medieval beginnings. For example see the Krzysztofory Palace on the N.E corner, now home to the central division of the Historical Museum of Kraków.
Today many of the building façades that line the Main Square have Polish Baroque architecture, despite their medieval beginnings. For example see the Krzysztofory Palace on the N.E corner, now home to the central division of the Historical Museum of Kraków.
Krzysztofory Palace, now Historical Museum of Kraków
Krakow-Wiki
Chopin Concert Hall
Viator
Originally built in C15th, Old Synagogue is the oldest surviving example of Jewish religious architecture in Poland, and one of Kraków's important historical monuments. Rebuilt in 1570 by Polish-Italian architect Mateo Gucci with elements of Renaissance and military architecture added, Old Synagogue is a rare example of a fortress synagogue, meant to protect families during a siege. Directly along the synagogue's side is a bit of Kazimierz's original defensive walls.
Old Synagogue,
wiki
Directly next to the Sukiennice stands Poland’s most eminent scribe: Adam Mickiewicz, and a huge, striking bronze statue of Polish C19th romantic poet on the square's eastern side. Ironically this much loved bard never visited the city until after his death when his remains were transferred to the Wawel Cathedral crypt, but this didn’t stop the statue from becoming one of Kraków’s best loved monuments.
Citizens used to witness many public events in the square, including royal ceremonies and public executions. Even now grim tourists might want to see the very grim set of metal neck chains displayed on St Mary’s side door, used to punish philandering women. But the worst was during German occupation when the square was renamed Adolf Hitler Platz and Nazi rallies attended by Der Führer himself happened.
Kraków’s medieval market square is one of the few places in the city that can chronicle Kraków’s history concisely; from its medieval origins, through its horrid C20th conflicts, to a vibrant modern European city. No wonder its buildings and history made the square a perfect choice for UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1978. Its population is now 770,000.
St Florians Gate
Polish Gothic tower, focal point of Kraków's Old Town.