Dominating the centre of the Main Market Square, this building was once the heart of Kraków’s medieval clothing trade. Created in the early 14th century when a roof was put over two rows of stalls, it was extended into a 108m-long Gothic structure, then rebuilt in Renaissance style after a 1555 fire; the arcades were a late-19th-century addition. The ground floor is now a busy trading centre for crafts and souvenirs; the upper floor houses the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Painting.
©Filip Stanczyk/Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
7.58 MILES
Some 14km southeast of Kraków, the Wieliczka (vyeh-leech-kah) salt mine has been welcoming tourists since 1722 and today is one of Poland's most popular…
0.51 MILES
As the political and cultural heart of Poland through the 16th century, Wawel Royal Castle is a potent symbol of national identity. It's now a museum…
1.47 MILES
Despite the name, this museum covers more than the story of Oskar Schindler, the Nazi German industrialist who famously saved the lives of members of his…
0.49 MILES
Wawel Cathedral has witnessed many coronations, funerals and burials of Poland’s monarchs and nobles. The present cathedral is basically a Gothic, but…
0.09 MILES
This striking brick church, best known simply as St Mary’s, is dominated by two towers of different heights. The first church here was built in the 1220s…
0.16 MILES
The Collegium Maius, part of Jagiellonian University, is the oldest surviving university building in Poland, and one of the finest examples of 15th…
0.17 MILES
The name of this museum doesn’t sound that exciting, but the Jagiellonian University Medical School’s Museum of Pharmacy is one of the largest museums of…
0.34 MILES
The Jesuits erected this church, the first baroque building in Kraków, after they had been brought to the city in 1583 to do battle with supporters of the…
Nearby Kraków attractions
1. Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Painting
0.02 MILES
This important gallery is separated into four separate rooms, each focusing on an element of Polish art from the end of the 18th century up to WWI. The…
0.02 MILES
The vast Main Market Square is the focus of the Old Town, and is Europe's largest medieval town square (200m by 200m). Its most prominent features are the…
0.03 MILES
This fascinating attraction beneath the market square consists of an underground route through medieval market stalls and other long-forgotten chambers…
0.04 MILES
Southwest of the Cloth Hall, this soaring tower is all that is left of the 15th-century town hall which was dismantled in the 1820s. The 70m-tall tower…
0.06 MILES
This small church on the southern corner of the Main Market Square is usually regarded as the city's oldest place of worship, with a history that…
6. Historical Museum of Kraków
0.08 MILES
At the northern corner of the square, the collection within the 17th-century Krzysztofory Palace is home to Cyberteka, an interactive exhibition which…
0.09 MILES
This striking brick church, best known simply as St Mary’s, is dominated by two towers of different heights. The first church here was built in the 1220s…
0.12 MILES
This sombre 14th-century church is located on the small, charming Plac Mariacki, which was a churchyard until the early 19th century. St Barbara’s was the…