Tarnów Town Hall: Renaissance Landmark on the Market Square

Po polsku: Ratusz w Tarnowie

Would you like to see a town hall with one of the oldest town hall clocks in Poland? Tarnów, a town in Małopolska (Lesser Poland), the region around Kraków, has exactly that. Its town hall stands right on the Market Square, dates back to the 14th century and is the main symbol of the town. Today it houses a museum.

A short history

The town hall was built at the end of the 14th century in the Gothic style. At first it was a small one-storey building. It had two vaulted rooms divided by an entrance hall (sień), plus the base of today’s tower with its typical small windows.

It was the seat of the town authorities. The town council met here, and so did the court of the wójt (the town’s chief official) and the lay judges. The town scales were also kept here.

Two great fires destroyed the building before 1500. It was rebuilt, or perhaps even built again from scratch, in the first half of the 16th century. This was done thanks to Jan Amor of Tarnów, father of the hetman (military commander) Jan Tarnowski.

The town hall was given its Renaissance form under the direction of Jan Maria Padovano. The south-east part was widened with a projecting section (ryzalit) with stairs leading to the new upper floor. The roof was hidden behind a decorative parapet called an attyka, adorned with finials, scrolls and maszkarony (carved grotesque faces). At the same time, the upper, round part of the tower was added. On top of the tower’s roof you can see the coat of arms of the Sanguszko family, called Pogoń.

In 1792 a fire almost completely destroyed the town hall. It was rebuilt with considerable changes. From 1889 to 1892 it was renovated and rebuilt under Szczęsny Zaręba. Then, from 1962 to 1968, it went through a comprehensive restoration.

In 1931 the building stopped being the seat of the town’s local government. It became the home of the state Museum in Tarnów, which began its work in 1945. Museum exhibitions fill its rooms.

What to look for on the outside

On the south side is the main Renaissance portal, the work of Villani. It is made of Pińczów stone, with two pilasters and a triangular tympanum. The roof is covered with copper sheet and hidden by the parapet, which resembles parts of the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) in Kraków.

There are clock faces on the north and south walls. Inside, you can find traces of the old painted decoration (polichromia).

My tip: the parapet with its carved faces and the clock tower are easy to enjoy from the square, so take a moment to look up.

The museum inside

The town hall houses a branch of the Muzeum Ziemi Tarnowskiej (Museum of the Tarnów Land). Until 2024 it was called the Muzeum Okręgowe (District Museum). These are the main attractions:

• Sarmatian portrait (portret sarmacki). This is one of the few such large collections in Poland of Polish portraits from the 17th and 18th centuries, showing people known from history.
• Gen. Józef Bem. A biographical exhibition about the hero of the struggles for independence of Poland and Hungary, who was born in Tarnów.
• Glass and porcelain. The exhibition shows one of the most valuable collections in Poland of porcelain from foreign factories and the oldest Polish manufactories. Its highlight is a multi-purpose service made in Meissen (Miśnia) during the 19th century. The dinner, breakfast and dessert pieces are surprising for their variety of shapes, which recall 18th-century designs, but above all for their very rich decoration. The main theme of the colourful decoration is hand-painted birds, each one different on the platters, dishes, baskets, cups and saucers.
• The „bird service” (serwis ptaszkowy). It is linked with the Sanguszko family and originally had more than 500 items. More than 150 of the most interesting pieces are shown in the exhibition.
• Armoury (zbrojownia). A collection of weapons and armour. It includes an original hussar lance (kopia husarska), one of only three fully preserved in Poland.

Good to know

• The town hall is on the Renaissance Trail in Małopolska (Szlak Renesansu w Małopolsce).
• There was already a clock on the tower in the 16th century. A large part of its mechanism now dates from the 17th century, and it is one of the oldest town hall clocks in Poland.

More guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.

Łukasz, Niezwykła Małopolska