Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

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Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

In the center of Market Square is Cloth Hall, built in the 13th century, but which fell victim to fire in 1555. Today's appearance is thanks to the plans of the Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni il Mosca. An art gallery is now located on the upper floor (closed during our trip) while the lower covered arcades are taken up by numerous stalls selling souvenirs and art works.

The Gallery of the Sukiennice

This is one of Kraków's best-known architectural monuments. Rectangular in shape, the Cloth Hall was the medieval city's main centre of trading, surrounded on all sides by a labyrinth of market stalls. Enjoy the morbid fantasies of 19th-century Krakovian painters in the gallery here: wild-eyed women on rearing horses with glam-rock hairstyles.

Photo 327, May 2007