Main Square, Kraków
Main Square as seen from the tower of the St. Mary's Basilica, with Cloth Hall in its centre, free-standing Town Hall Tower behind it, and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument in the bottom-left | |
| Native name | Rynek Główny (Polish) |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Rynek |
| Type | Medieval market square |
| Maintained by | Kraków City Council |
| Location | Kraków Old Town Poland |
| Coordinates | 50°3′42″N 19°56′14″E / 50.06167°N 19.93722°E |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 1978 |
| Part of | Historic Centre of Kraków |
| Reference no. | 29 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
The Main Market Square (Polish: Rynek Główny [ˈrɨnɛɡ ˈɡwuvnɨ] lit. ) of the Old Town of Kraków, Lesser Poland, is the principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and at 3.79 ha (9.4 acres) is sometimes called the largest medieval town square in Europe, but Charles Square in Prague is two times larger.
The Main Square is a square space surrounded by historic townhouses (kamienice) and churches. The center of the square is dominated by the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance style, topped by a attic or Polish parapet decorated with carved masks. On one side of the cloth hall is the Town Hall Tower (Wieża ratuszowa), on the other the 11th century Church of St. Adalbert and 1898 Adam Mickiewicz Monument. Rising above the square are the Gothic towers of St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki). Kraków Main Square does not have a town hall, because it has not survived to the present day.