Main Market Square

MAIN MARKET SQUARE – THE CITY’S HEART
Cracow’s Main Market Square is the largest medieval urban centre in Europe. The centrally positioned Cloth Hall, a construction from the turn of the 12th century, was originally designed for the cloth trade. The Cloth Hall, topped with gargoyles, acquired its decorative appearance in the 19th century, when arcades were added. Today, the ground floor continues to be a trading centre for crafts and souvenirs, while the upper floor houses the Gallery of 19th Century Polish Painting. Overlooking the square from the east is St Mary’s Church with its magnificent high altar, carved by the Nuremberg sculptor Veit Stoss (known to Poles as Wit Stwosz) and acclaimed as the greatest masterpiece of Gothic art in Poland. Carefully The International Festival of Mountain Folklore in late August is the town’s leading cultural event. In winter Zakopane hosts such sports events as the FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski) Championship, the New Year’s Run, the Continental Cup, the National Winter Sports Championship and the Student International Sports Championship. Poland’s winter sports capital is also a well known health resort and an important centre of highlanders’ culture.