The heart of Krakow is the Rynek Glowny. At 200m by 200m it is the largest market area of any European city. Its bulk is broken up though by the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), the porticoed building at its heart. Now it is a charming and echoing tunnel lined by stalls selling souvenirs. Be sure to shop around, as chances are you can find the same thing at different prices. I would personally recommend the little trees made from twisted wire, with droplets of amber for leaves, and the porcelain tankards. I bought one for my father, and he now refuses to drink out of anything else! Whilst browsing the puppets, icons and (sadly) fur rugs, don't forget to take a look up at the ceiling, where you can see the coats of arms of the towns that historically traded with Krakow.

The most eye-catching site in the square though is the tall and narrow Church of St Mary whose twin towers soar to the north-east. Inside are some spectacular frescoes and stained-glass, but pride of place is the breath-taking altar-piece. The triptych, from the workshop of the justly famed 15th-century master Veit Stoss, is the largest wooden Gothic altar in Europe. Sit and spend your time examining its intricate workmanship.

Try to time your visit, as every hour on the hour a fanfare is blown from the highest of the church's two towers. Know as the Hejnal, this is to Poland what the bells of Big Ben are to Britain, and is still broadcast over Polish radio and TV every noon. The horn stops suddenly mid-note - this is in remembrance of the guard who blew the warning of an approaching army and was slain by a Tartar arrow.

Restaurants surround the main square. In my experience the food isn't much cop though (see my reviews of Sioux and Faust). Better (and cheaper) is to visit any of the stalls in the market for a Polish sausage, a pork escalope, or a bigos - all served with pickled cabbage. During the Christmas markets your choice is even more plentiful, with candies and mulled wine also on offer. There are often street entertainers (in July I visited during a street theatre festival), antiques stalls selling Soviet militaria, or Christmas stalls selling everything you might need to celebrate a joyeux Noel, from presents to candles, from decorations to trees.

Finally, to the South-east there stands a solitary belfry, the only remnant of the 14th-century Town Hall. During summer you can climb the spiral staircase to get a birds-eye view over the square - truly an unforgettable sight!

Krakow is a wonderful place to visit at any time of the year but being there just before Christmas was very special.

On one side of Rynek Glowny was a Christmas Market with stalls selling gifts, cards, and lovely wickerwork Christmas decorations. Entertainment came in the form of choirs and groups of musicians performing traditional songs and carols on a small stage set up near the centre of the market.

To warm yourself up there are stalls selling hot wine and, for the hungry meat eaters among you, huge pork knuckles and sausages which when combined with some bread and mustard, were—according to my carnivorous husband—"champion"!

The Market Square in Krakow is the heart of the city—both physically and figuratively—in so many ways.

Situated almost at the centre of the Old Quarter roads branch off into other areas of the city making it a good starting point to explore. In the summer, tables spread out from the cafes which surround the square turning it into an outdoor bar, towards the end of the year a Christmas Market brings stalls selling gifts, decorations, and hot wine to cut through the cold evenings.

It’s a thoroughfare, meeting place, promenade, and—as we saw the last time we were there—even a racetrack for local school children.
At 656 feet square the Rynek Glowney is the largest town square in Europe. Surrounded by the colourful facades of merchant’s houses and palaces—with fantastic names such as "Under the Lizards" and "Palace of the Rams"—the square also encloses the wonderful Cloth Hall, St. Mary’s Church, and the Town Hall Tower, all that is left of the Old Town Hall.

You’ll probably find yourself returning again and again to the Market Square either to sit and watch the world go by in one of its restaurants and bars, to admire its buildings and the wonderful architecture it contains or stretch your legs with a walk around its perimeter. Or maybe the city will simply draw you back to its vibrant, bustling, and magnificent heart!

The Market Square dates back to the 13th Century. At 200 meters square, it is Europe's second largest medieval square - only the Piazza San Marco in Venice is bigger. Rynek Glowny is a wonderful place to explore, shop, and relax.

At the center of the square is the 100 meter-long Sukienice (cloth market), which nowadays is a market hall for all kinds of handicrafts and antiques from the region of Galicia. But much more than just a shopping place, Sukienice combines neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance styles in its marvelous architecture. The upper floor has been turned into an art gallery.

In the summer months, street cafés are set up around Sukienice and across the whole square. As you sit and relax over a coffee or a good Polish beer, you may want to take a look at the façades of the surrounding houses. Again you will notice an interesting mix of styles: the houses appear to be Classical, but in fact the Classical façades were only added between the 17th and 19th century, and the original doorways are still in Renaissance and Baroque style.

The best view can be caught from Wieza Ratuszowa, the free-standing town hall tower, next to the market hall. The top floor gallery is opened in summer and lets you see the whole old town from a bird's eye view.

In the north-eastern corner of the square stands the Church of the Virgin Mary, Kosciol Mariaki. This is a must-see, for it includes a masterpiece of late Gothic ecclesiastical art: the 15th century altar, a huge work of art 13 meters high. Even if you are not too fond of religious artwork, this piece will impress you with its over 2,000 sculptures and ornaments of the Virgin Mary, the Apostles and reproductions of famous Krakow citizens of the time.