Krakow Main Market (Rynek Głowny)

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The Main Market Square (Polish: Rynek Glowny) is the largest square in Europe and the center of this very popular city among tourists in Poland. Highlights on the beautiful market square of Krakow from the Middle Ages are the Church of St. Mary and the Cloth Halls. The main square is also called Market Square or even simpler Krakow Market.

krakow market square, main square

The main market is the center of the old town of Krakow, practically all tourists come here. The square is gigantic, about 200 by 200 meters, or about 4 hectares. The square is divided into two halves by the long cloth halls, in the Renaissance style from the 16th century. The square itself has existed since the 13th century, that is, since the late Middle Ages. Throughout history, Krakow’s huge market square was mainly a market, trading place and a working place for craftsmen. Today it is a beautiful place especially for tourists with old buildings. From our point of view, it is not only the largest square in an old town of Europe, but also one of the most beautiful squares. The many cafes and palaces remind us of Italy, such as Florence or Venice.

krakow main market with maria church

Krakow’s St. Mary’s Church, with its towers of unequal height, is the most famous building on Krakow’s main market square. You can also see the inside of the church building for about 4 euros, a beautiful church.

Also a must-see are the Cloth Halls Krakow, the long building in the middle of the market square. It is one of the most famous Renaissance buildings in Europe (from the 16th century).

Today, the white carriages with decorated horses are famous. They are as famous in Krakow as gondolas are in Venice. However, a ride in a carriage through Krakow is not quite cheap, starting from about 60 euros.

krakow carriages waiting for customers

The main market of Kraków is called in Polish “: Rynek Główny”, in English simply “Main Square Kraków”. In German, one also sometimes hears Ring von Kraków.

Under the Main Square, since 2010, is a museum dedicated to the history of the square. Today in the square are dozens of cafes and restaurants frequented by tourists. Prices are a bit higher in the main market than elsewhere in Poland, but ok by German standards. One of the cafes is Hard Rück Café Krakow, right next to St. Mary’s Church. There are also stores. For example, a branch of ZARA or many souvenir stores in the cloth halls in the middle of the square.

Be careful, the long cloth halls divide the actually square square into two roughly equal parts. Many a tourist is said to have looked at only one part and thought he had seen the whole main market of Krakow. There are several passages in the cloth halls.

There is also a beautiful Christmas market in the market square of Krakow. Other events such as music concerts, New Year’s Eve party, demonstrations and others are also sometimes in the central square of Krakow. It is the central place of Krakow.

Many styles of art history can be seen in Krakow’s main market, including Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. The houses and palaces around the square are beautiful.