Kraków Cloth Hall: a walk beneath the arcades

A reason to pause here

We would walk through the trading hall and then back outside beneath the arcades. The coats of arms high on the walls are a reason to look above the shopfronts.

Trading stalls, fire and a rebuilt hall

The Cloth Hall began with trading stalls in the thirteenth century and acquired a roofed masonry hall in the fourteenth. After the fire of 1555, rebuilding gave it Renaissance decoration, including the long parapet and carved heads.

A nineteenth-century restoration removed surrounding sheds and added arcaded galleries. The upper floor became a gallery of Polish painting, while trade remained below. Today the National Museum gallery and Rynek Underground museum have separate entrances and tickets.

Walk through, then look up from outside

Our photographs move along the hall and back beneath the arcades. We would look above the shopfronts at the coats of arms before choosing an indoor exhibition. The building has different rhythms at ground level and upstairs; leave time for the collection if that is your reason to visit.

Plan the visit

The Cloth Hall stands in the Main Market Square. Check the National Museum’s current tickets and accessibility for the upper gallery, and book Rynek Underground separately through the Museum of Kraków. Trading-hall access does not include either exhibition. Keep passages clear while browsing or photographing.