Rynek Glowny Krakow

The Veit Stoss Altarpiece at St. Mary’s Basilica Is the Largest Gothic Altarpiece in the World and Most People Walk Past the Entrance

The altarpiece is 13 metres tall and was carved in limewood between 1477 and 1489, depicting the Dormition of the Virgin. It fills the entire east end of the basilica’s nave. Entry to the basilica interior costs 10 PLN – a trivial amount – and the line moves quickly. Most visitors to Rynek Glowny photograph the exterior of St. Mary’s and move on without going inside, which means they miss what is arguably the finest piece of Gothic carving north of the Alps.

Krakow’s Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny) is the largest medieval square in Europe at 200 by 200 metres. It has been the commercial and civic centre of the city since the 13th century. Krakow was largely undamaged during World War II, which is why the historic centre survived intact while Warsaw was largely destroyed; what you walk through here is genuine medieval fabric, not reconstruction.

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

The Gothic structure at the centre of the square was built in the 14th century and extended in Renaissance style in the 16th century. The ground floor sells amber jewellery, wooden chess sets, and lacework. The first floor holds the National Museum’s collection of 19th-century Polish painting, including Jan Matejko’s large historical canvases. The gallery is under-visited because most visitors skip the stairs. Admission is around 20 PLN.

St. Mary’s Basilica

The two towers of the basilica are deliberately different heights: the city bought the taller one in the 14th century and used it as a watchtower. Every hour, a trumpeter plays the Hejnal Mariacki from the top of the taller tower in four directions; the melody cuts off mid-phrase, commemorating a 13th-century trumpeter said to have been killed mid-warning during a Mongol attack.

Wawel Castle and Cathedral

Ten minutes south along Grodzka Street, Wawel Hill holds the former royal castle (now a national museum with collections of Renaissance tapestries, armour, and applied arts) and the Wawel Cathedral where Polish kings were crowned and most are buried. Allow three to four hours for the full complex. The dragon’s den (Smocza Jama) below the hill is a limestone cave with a bronze sculpture of a fire-breathing dragon at the exit.

Kazimierz

The former Jewish quarter, 1.5 kilometres south, was the centre of Krakow’s Jewish community from the late 15th century until the war. The quarter’s synagogues, the Remuh cemetery, and the pre-war urban fabric survived because the German administration used the area for administrative purposes. Schindler’s Factory museum is at the edge of the neighbourhood.

Eating

A full meal with beer in the square costs approximately 60 to 90 PLN. Milk bars (Bar Mleczny) serve traditional Polish food for under 30 PLN. Zapiekanka – a toasted half-baguette with toppings – from Plac Nowy in Kazimierz for about 10 PLN is the correct late-night food.