Walk in Cracow: Market Square and Wawel Castle
Market Square, Cracow / Shutterstock
Market Square
an incredibly busy place in Krakow, and one of the most characteristic places in Poland. It has an area of 4 ha and is the largest square in Krakow, as well as one of the largest in Europe. The square's sides are each approximately 200 m long. Almost all the tenement buildings and palaces around the market are centuries-old monuments. Here are located museums and such famous restaurants as Hawełka and Wierzynek. Café Vis-a-Vis at No. 29 was a favourite of Piotr Skrzynecki, the founder of Piwnicy pod Baranami (Cellar Under the Rams). His figure, with his characteristic hat on his head, still sits in the coffee garden. The Square also includes: St. Wojciech's Church, the Town Hall Tower, the Cloth Hall, and the monument of Adam Mickiewicz. The history of the largest square in medieval Europe dates back to the thirteenth century. Krakow was subjected to Magdeburg law on June 5, 1257, implemented by the prince of Krakow Boleslaw the Chaste. The market was created for merchants, locals and those who followed trade routes. Initially, it was owned by the ruler, but in 1358, Kazimierz the Great released the ownership rights to the city. The first cobblestones were laid in the second half of the fourteenth century. In the Renaissance and early Baroque eras, the Market Square hosted the solemn entrance of the monarch, and paid homage to kings, triumphs and parades. It was the site of many grand celebrations and historical events of the First Republic. Here, on April 10, 1525, Duke Albrecht of Prussia Hohenzollern, paid homage to the Polish King Zygmunt I. Here also took place the military oath of allegiance to the Constitution of 3 May (1791). On 24 March 1794, Tadeusz Kosciuszko swore his oath to the nation, beginning the uprising. In 1940, the German occupiers renamed the Rynek as Adolf-Hitler Platz. After the liberation of Krakow on January 18, 1945 the old name was reinstated. Today it is a meeting place, and for summer festivals, concerts, fairs and presentations, and walking. A special attraction, an underground market, was discovered in 2005 during archaeological excavations, and is now open to tourists. It provide an opportunity for an unusual journey into the past of Krakow.