Krakow´s Main Square at dusk (9157072789)

The Main Square (Polish: Rynek Główny w Krakowie) is the main market square of the Old Town in Kraków, Poland 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.

Location The Main Square is located on the Royal Road once traversed during the Royal Coronations at Wawel Cathedral, between the Kraków barbican to the north, and the 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) 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, a purveyor to the imperial court in Vienna. It is the location of the Historical Museum of Kraków, 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 – originally designed in the 14th century as a center for cloth trade, it was gutted by fire in 1555 and rebuilt in the 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 with its Altar by Wit Stwosz, a Brick Gothic 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 and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument.

Since its creation, the level of the Market Square has raised, in some places by over 5 metres (16 ft). Underneath there are large basements, the most famous of which is the Piwnica pod Baranami. Many cellars are now transformed into pubs and restaurants; others include the Theater Maszkaron and small archeological museum in the basement of the St. Adalbert's church. There are passages linking some of basements, such as one linking the Town Hall Tower with the 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.

Rynek Główny is a spacious square surrounded by historical townhouses (kamienice), palaces and churches. The center of the square is dominated by the Sukiennice (the Cloth Hall or Drapers' Hall), rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance style, topped by a beautiful attic or Polish parapet decorated with carved masks. On one side of the Sukiennice is the Town Hall Tower (Wieża ratuszowa), on the other the 10th century Church of St. Wojciech (St. Adalbert's) and 1898 Adam Mickiewicz Monument. Rising above the square are the Gothic towers of St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki).