Rynek Główny (Main Square), Krakow (must see)

Kraków’s Main Square is the largest medieval square in Europe, serving as the vibrant heart of the city for more than 750 years. Covering nearly 40,000 square meters, it was laid out in 1257 after the Mongol invasion, when Kraków was rebuilt according to a new urban plan that emphasized order, trade, and civic life. The square quickly became the centre of commerce and public events, surrounded by merchant houses, noble residences, and key municipal buildings. Over the centuries, it has witnessed royal ceremonies, markets, festivals, uprisings—everything under the sun.

At the center of the square stands the Cloth Hall, a Renaissance trading hall that once formed part of the city’s major commercial network. Today, it houses craft stalls on the ground floor and an art gallery upstairs, continuing its tradition as a marketplace. Nearby rises the iconic St. Mary’s Basilica, distinguished by its two asymmetrical towers.

Elegant palaces line the perimeter, many now home to museums, cafés, and restaurants. Beneath the square, the Rynek Underground Museum reveals archaeological traces of medieval market stalls, roads, and merchant activity, immersing visitors in the city’s early urban history.