Main Market Square, Kraków - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Main Market Square in Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

is the most important market square

Market square

The market square is a feature of many European and colonial towns. It is an open area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading, commonly on one particular day of the week known as market day....

of the Old Town in Kraków

Kraków

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

and a principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and – at roughly 40,000 m² (430,000 ft²) – it is the largest medieval town square in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

Rynek Główny is a spacious square surrounded by historical townhouses (kamienice

Kamienica (architecture)

Kamienica is a Polish term describing a type of residential building made of brick or stone, with at least 2 floors. The word is usually used to describe a building which is incorporated with other, similar buildings....

), palaces and churches

Churches of Kraków

The metropolitan city of Kraków, former capital of Poland, is known as the city of churches. The abundance of landmark, historic Roman Catholic churches along with the plenitude of monasteries and convents earned the city a countrywide reputation as the "Northern Rome" in the past...

. The center of the square is dominated by the Sukiennice

Sukiennice

The Renaissance Sukiennice in Kraków, Poland, is one of the city's most recognizable icons. It is the central feature of the Main Market Square in the Kraków Old Town . It was once a major centre of international trade. Traveling merchants met there to discuss business and to barter...

(the Cloth Hall

Cloth hall

A cloth hall or linen hall is a historic building located in the centre of main marketplaces of European towns. They contained trading stalls, particularly for the selling of cloth as well as leather, wax and salt, including exotic imports such as spices and silk...

or Drapers' Hall), rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

style, topped by a beautiful attic or Polish parapet decorated with carved masks. On one side of the Sukiennice is the Town Hall Tower

Town Hall Tower, Kraków

Town Hall Tower in Kraków, Poland is one of the main focal points of the Main Market Square in the Old Town district of Kraków.The Tower is the only remaining part of the old Town Hall demolished in 1820 as part of the city plan to open up the Main Square...

(Wieża ratuszowa), on the other the 10th century Church of St. Wojciech

Church of St. Wojciech

The Church of St. Adalbert or Church of St. Wojciech , located to the side of the Main Market Square in Old Town, Kraków, is one of the oldest stone churches in Poland...

(St. Adalbert's) and 1898 Adam Mickiewicz Monument

Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Kraków

Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Kraków, , is one of the best known bronze monuments in Poland, and a favourite meeting place at the Main Market Square in the Old Town district of Kraków....

. Rising above the square are the Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

towers of St. Mary's Basilica

St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków

St. Mary's Basilica , is a Brick Gothic church re-built in the 14th century , adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland...

(Kościół Mariacki).

History

The main function of the Market Square was commerce. After the city was destroyed by the Mongol invasion in 1241, the Main Square was rebuilt in 1257 and its commercial role expanded with the Magdeburg rights

Magdeburg rights

Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...

location of the city by the prince of Kraków, Bolesław V the Chaste. The Main Square was designed in its current state with each side repeating a pattern of three, evenly spaced streets set at right angles to the square. The exception is Grodzka Street which is much older and connects the Main Square with the Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle

The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's...

. Originally the square was filled with low market stalls and administrative buildings and had a ring road running around it. It was King Casimir III the Great who built the original Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

Sukiennice and the Town Hall that filled nearly a quarter of the square. Kraków was the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League

Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...

and the city flourished as an important European metropolis.
In addition to its original merchant functions the Main Square witnessed many historical events, and it was used to stage public executions of prisoners held in city Town Hall. It was a place of regal ceremonies as part of the Royal Road

Royal Road, Kraków

The Royal Road or Royal Route in Kraków, Poland, begins at the northern end of the medieval Old Town and continues south through the centre of town towards Wawel Hill, where the old royal residence, Wawel Castle, is located...

(Droga Królewska), frequented by diplomats and dignitaries traveling to the Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle

. In 1364 King Casimir held the Pan-European Congress of Kraków

Congress of Kraków

The Congress of Kraków was a meeting of monarchs initiated by King Casimir III the Great of Poland and held in Kraków around September 22-27, 1364...

there. On 10 April 1525, Albert I, Duke of Prussia

Albert I, Duke of Prussia

Albert of Prussia was the 37th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and, after converting to Lutheranism, the first duke of the Duchy of Prussia, which was the first state to adopt the Lutheran faith and Protestantism as the official state religion...

paid the Prussian Homage

Prussian Homage

The Prussian Homage or Tribute was the formal investment of Albert of Prussia as duke of the Polish fief of Ducal Prussia.In the aftermath of the armistice ending the Polish-Teutonic War Albert, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and a member of the House of Hohenzollern, visited Martin Luther...

to Sigismund I the Old

Sigismund I the Old

Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...

, king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania accepting Polish kings' suzerainty, (pictured). In 1514 Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

n duke

Duke

A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

Konstanty Ostrogski

Konstanty Iwanowicz Ostrogski was a Lithuanian duke of slavonic origin and a Grand Hetman of Lithuania since September 11, 1497, until his death. As a speaker of the Ruthenian language he is considered to be one of the precursors of the Belarusian language and a national hero in Belarus.He...

held a victory parade over the Muscovy and in 1531 nobleman Jan Tarnowski

Jan Tarnowski

Jan Amor Tarnowski was a Polish szlachcic . He was Grand Crown Hetman from 1527 and was the founder of the city of Tarnopol, where he built the Ternopil Castle and the Ternopil Lake....

celebrated another victory in the Muscovite wars. Jan III Sobieski, a King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, celebrated there his victory over the Turkish Empire in the 1683 Battle of Vienna

Battle of Vienna

The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...

.

In 1596 King Sigismund III, of the Swedish House of Vasa

Vasa

Vasa may refer to:* House of Vasa, a medieval Swedish noble family, the royal house of Sweden 1523–1654 and of Poland 1587–1668** Vasa , a Swedish warship that sank in 1628, since restored...

, moved the capital of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

from Kraków to Warszawa (Warsaw). Kraków remained the place of coronations and royal funerals. On 24 March 1794, at the Main Square Tadeusz Kościuszko

Tadeusz Kosciuszko

Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...

announced the general uprising

Kosciuszko's proclamation

Kościuszko's proclamation refers to a speech given by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Kraków on March 24, 1794. The speech is considered the starting point of the Kościuszko's Uprising against the forces of Imperial Russia occupying Poland....

(pictured) and assumed the powers of the Commander in Chief of Polish armed forces, beginning the Kościuszko Uprising

Kosciuszko Uprising

The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...

. In 1848, in the Spring of Nations, civilians clashed with the Austrian

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...

army and it was where, next to Ratusz, Austrian eagles

Coat of arms of Austria

The current coat of arms of Austria, albeit without the broken chains, has been in use by the Republic of Austria since 1919. Between 1934 and the German annexation in 1938 Austria used a different coat of arms, which consisted of a double-headed eagle...

were piled up as a symbol of regained independence in 1918. During the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

the Main Square was renamed Adolf Hitler Platz and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument

Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Kraków

Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Kraków, , is one of the best known bronze monuments in Poland, and a favourite meeting place at the Main Market Square in the Old Town district of Kraków....

was destroyed along with historical commemorative plaques taken from buildings at the Market Square. After the war the monument was reconstructed. In 1978 UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

placed the Main Square as part of the Old Town Kraków and on the list of World Heritage Sites. On 21 March 1980, in time of political tension and the run-up to the declaration of the Martial Law in Poland

Martial law in Poland

Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...

, Walenty Badylak, retired baker and a veteran of Poland's wartime underground Home Army set himself alight chained to a well on the Main Square. Badylak was protesting the communist

People's Republic of Poland

The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...

government's refusal to acknowledge the Katyn

Katyn massacre

The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...

's war crime. The Main Square was central in staging mass demonstrations of the Solidarity movement.

Location

The Main Square is located on the Royal Road

Royal Road, Kraków

once traversed during the Royal Coronations

Royal coronations in Poland

Royal coronations in Poland officially began in 1025 and continued until 1764, when the final King of an independent Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, was crowned at St. John's Cathedral in Warsaw. Most Polish coronations took place at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, but crownings also occurred...

at Wawel Cathedral

Wawel Cathedral

The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...

, between the Barbican of Kraków

Barbican of Kraków

The Kraków barbican is a barbican – a fortified outpost once connected to the city walls. It is a historic gateway leading into the Old Town of Kraków, Poland. The barbican is one of the few remaining relics of the complex network of fortifications and defensive barriers that once encircled the...

to the north, and the Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle

to the south. Ever since its creation the square has been considered the center of the city.
The Main Square is surrounded by old brick buildings (kamienica
Kamienica (architecture)
Kamienica is a Polish term describing a type of residential building made of brick or stone, with at least 2 floors. The word is usually used to describe a building which is incorporated with other, similar buildings....

) and palaces, almost all of them several centuries old. Most buildings have acquired a neoclassical aspect over time, but the basic structures are older and can be seen in their doorways, architectural details and interiors. Vast medieval cellars of buildings are used as pubs, restaurants and cabarets. Many restaurants and cafes line the square. One of most renowned, Pod Palmą (Under the Palm) at Krzysztofory Palace, was opened in 1876 by Antoni Hawełka

Antoni Hawełka

Antoni Hawełka was a Polish merchant and caterer, born in Kęty in Moravia.Hawełka was the founder of a well-known restaurant Pod Palmą on the Main Market Square in Kraków...

, a purveyor to the imperial court in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. It is the location of the Historical Museum of Kraków

Historical Museum of Kraków

Historical Museum of Kraków a.k.a. Historical Museum of the City of Kraków at the Krzysztofory Palace in Kraków, Poland, was granted the status of an independent institution in 1945...

, above. Among the many tourism-oriented venues there's also the International Center of Culture. Probably the most famous of the oldest establishments is the Wierzynek's restaurant, remembered for the great feast of 1364 which, according to the legend, lasted for twenty one days and helped to reach a consensus between monarchs of Europe.

Among the square's landmarks are the Sukiennice

Sukiennice

– originally designed in the 14th century as a center for cloth trade, it was gutted by fire in 1555 and rebuilt in the Renaissance

Renaissance

style by Giovani il Mosca from Padua. The arcades were added in the 19th century. The ground floor is continually used for commerce with its many souvenir shops and cafés; upstairs is the Gallery of the National Museum. Another landmark is St. Mary's Basilica

St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków

St. Mary's Basilica , is a Brick Gothic church re-built in the 14th century , adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland...

with its Altar

Altar of Veit Stoss

The Altarpiece of Veit Stoss , also St. Mary's Altar , is the largest Gothic altarpiece in the World and a national treasure of Poland. It is located behind the Communion table of St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków...

by Wit Stwosz

Veit Stoss

Veit Stoss was a leading Bavarian sculptor, mostly in wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic and the Northern Renaissance. His style emphasized pathos and emotion, helped by his virtuoso carving of billowing drapery; it has been called "late Gothic Baroque"...

, a Brick Gothic

Brick Gothic

Brick Gothic is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions around the Baltic Sea that do not have natural rock resources. The buildings are essentially built from bricks...

church built in the 14th century on the ruins of an earlier church destroyed by the Tartar raids of 1241. In the vicinity of Market Square one can listen to the heynal, which is played each hour from the highest tower of St. Mary's Basilica. Other landmarks include the Church of St. Adalbert, Town Hall Tower

Town Hall Tower, Kraków

and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument

Adam Mickiewicz Monument, Kraków

Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Kraków, , is one of the best known bronze monuments in Poland, and a favourite meeting place at the Main Market Square in the Old Town district of Kraków....

.

Since its creation, the level of the Market Square has raised, in some places by over 5 metres (16.4 ft). Underneath there are large basements, the most famous of which is the Piwnica pod Baranami

Piwnica pod Baranami

The Piwnica pod Baranami is a Polish literary cabaret located in Kraków, Poland. For over thirty years, in the People's Republic of Poland, Piwnica pod Baranami served as the most renowned political cabaret in the country, until the end of the communist era...

. Many cellars are now transformed into pubs and restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s; others include the Theater Maszkaron and small archeological museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

in the basement of the St. Adalbert's church

Church of St. Wojciech

The Church of St. Adalbert or Church of St. Wojciech , located to the side of the Main Market Square in Old Town, Kraków, is one of the oldest stone churches in Poland...

. There are passages linking some of basements, such as one linking the Town Hall Tower with the Sukiennice

Sukiennice

. Sukiennice itself has a little-known underground trading hall, 100 meters wide (328 ft) and 5 meters high (16.4 ft). Near the Sienna Street there is another underground hall (Kramy Bogate), with 1200 m² (12,900 ft²) of area.

Events

In December 2005 the Project for Public Spaces

Project for Public Spaces

Project for Public Spaces is a nonprofit organization based in New York dedicated to creating and sustaining public places that build communities. Planning and design rooted in the community form the cornerstone of PPS’s work. Building on the techniques of William H...

selected Kraków's Rynek Główny as the World's Best Square. It is the focal point of many public events and festivities, such as the annual Kraków szopka

Kraków szopka

Kraków szopka , or nativity scene is a Christmas tradition originating from Kraków, Poland, and dating back to the 19th century. An unusual and characteristic feature of the szopka is the use of historical buildings of Kraków as backdrop for the Nativity of Jesus.-History:Nativity scenes, common...

Festival, Lajkonik

Lajkonik

The Lajkonik is one of the unofficial symbols of the city of Kraków, Poland. It is represented as a bearded man resembling a Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat, dressed in Mongol attire, with a wooden horse around his waist...

celebrations, Festival of Military Bands, Juwenalia Student Festival

Juwenalia

Juwenalia is an annual students' holiday in Poland, usually celebrated for three days in late May, before the summer exams, sometimes also at the beginning of June. Juwenalia are celebrated in all colleges in Poland, with different names depending on a school or a city...

, Gala Concert of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity is one of the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizations in Poland...

and the largest New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...

party in Poland. Every year on Christmas Eve, the Adam Mickiewicz Monument

Adam Mickiewicz monument

The Adam Mickiewicz monument in Gorzów Wielkopolski is a notable Gorzów Wielkopolski statue, located near a cross of Lwów Eaglets Street and Władysław Sikorski Street. The monument was designed by Józef Gosławski. The statue was unveiled 15 December 1957 to commemorate an anniversary of poet's death...

(Mickiewicz' saint's name day) is decorated with flowers by the florists of Kraków.

The culture of Kraków

Culture of Kraków

Kraków is considered by many to be the cultural capital of Poland. It was named the European Capital of Culture by European Union for the year 2000. The city has some of the best museums in the country and several famous theaters...

is deeply rooted in colorful traditions with the Main Square remaining most lively and crowded year-round. Like other notable old-town squares, Main Market Square in Kraków is also known for its large population of Rock Pigeon

Rock Pigeon

The Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae . In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon"....

s, florist stalls, gift-shops, beer-gardens and horse-drawn carriages.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Location

Events

See also

External links