Po polsku: Rynek Główny w Krakowie
How big can a town square be? Kraków’s Main Square (Rynek Główny) covers 4 hectares and is one of the largest squares in Europe. It lies right in the centre of Kraków and is the city’s most important public space.
A square with 13th-century roots
The history of the Rynek goes back to the 13th century. Today it is the largest square in Kraków. It is shaped like a square, with sides of about 200 m.
The square is surrounded by houses and palaces that are several hundred years old. Inside them you will find, among other things, the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, the International Cultural Centre, well-known shops and restaurants.
How the square was founded
The Rynek is also the largest market square of medieval Europe. Kraków was founded under Magdeburg law (a model of town rights, which set out how a town was organised) on 5 June 1257. It was done by the Duke of Kraków, Bolesław Wstydliwy (Bolesław the Chaste).
The square was laid out by the town’s wójtowie (the town administrators of the time): Gedko Stilvoyt, Jakub of Nysa and Dytmar of Wrocław. They used a regular surveying grid. The result was a square plot with sides just over 200 metres long.
It is not perfectly regular. The plan had to be adjusted to fit what was already there from earlier settlement, namely St Mary’s Church (kościół Mariacki) and St Adalbert’s Church (kościół św. Wojciecha).
The idea was simple. Local people and merchants travelling along the trade routes needed enough space to sell their goods.
Where history happened
The Rynek has hosted many events important for Poland. In the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, it was the stage for solemn royal entries (ingresy monarsze), homages paid to kings, triumphs and parades. Many grand ceremonies and historic events of the First Polish Republic (I Rzeczpospolita) took place here.
- 10 April 1525: Albrecht Hohenzollern, Duke of Prussia, paid feudal homage (hołd lenny) to the Polish king Sigismund I.
- 1791: a military oath of loyalty to the Constitution of 3 May was sworn here.
- 24 March 1794: Tadeusz Kościuszko, the Supreme Commander of the National Armed Force, took an oath to the Nation and began the uprising (powstanie).
- 1809: the square saw the entry of Prince J. Poniatowski and the taking of the guardhouse (odwach) by Polish troops.
The square also remembers balls held in the Sukiennice (the Cloth Hall) in honour of Napoleon.
My tip: take your time and walk slowly around the edges of the square. The old houses and palaces are easier to appreciate that way than from the middle. And if you want the full first-day plan, see my top 5 things to see in Kraków’s Old Town.
Practical info
- Where: in the centre of Kraków.
- Size: about 4 ha, the largest square in Kraków.
- Shape: a square with sides of about 200 m.
- Founded: Kraków was chartered under Magdeburg law on 5 June 1257.
- Around the square: the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, the International Cultural Centre, shops and restaurants.
- Also on the square: St Mary’s Church and the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall).
Checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so please check before your visit.
More guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.
Łukasz, Niezwykła Małopolska