Early times
There is proof that a structure or structures of some sort have existed on this very spot since the mid 13th century when the city received its charter in 1257. The original structures would probably have been two rows of stone trading stalls which would have formed a street between them right in the middle of the square. Around 1300 a roof would have been placed over these stalls creating the first Cloth Hall style structure. This basic structure would have survived up until the mid 14th century when the Polish king Casimir the Great allowed construction of a hall for trading as part of his policy of improving and enriching his kingdom. Krakow became an important trading post between the east and west and although the name Cloth Hall comes from the trading of textiles that went on, this area saw many commodities bought and sold such as wax, spices, leather, silks as well as local goods such as lead and salt from the nearby Wieliczka mines.
As can be seen in the Rynek Underground exhibition, the area around where the Cloth Hall stands today was a bustling, crowded, noisy centre of commerce with merchants passing through the city and local trades such as cloth makers and metal workers going about their business. It appears that the development of the area during the 14th century resulted in the original stone stalls becoming the basements of the new developments. Previously refuse was allowed to pile up where after it would be covered in sand which in turn gradually raised the ground level in stages. This method of dealing with refuse was one of the reasons such marvellous discoveries were made by archaeologists as they dug downwards into the various layers of the square.
When in the 14th century, King Casimir the Great allowed for the structure to take the form of a huge hall, more and more stalls sprang up around it. This was to become the centre of trade for Kraków’s merchants, bakers, cloth makers and fishmongers, and technically one of the world's first, if not the first, shopping malls. The Gothic construction was 108 metres long by 10 metres wide with two rows of stalls and with arched arcades built at the north and south ends the structure had the basis of its current shape. This survived until the mid-16th century when a fire destroyed it. A new structure was quickly built and underwent a Renaissance facelift overseen by Jan Maria Padovano (1493-1574) and featured brilliantly deformed gargoyles by the Italian-Polish sculptor Santi Gucci which were added to the façade. At this time it was probably the most magnificent building in the whole of Krakow.
At its peak around 500 years ago, the city of Krakow would have been one of the most magnificent in the world. A royal city until King Sigismund III Vasa moved his court to Warsaw in 1596, wars and political interference from her the country’s neighbours left Krakow in a pretty decrepit state by the time it was decided to rebuild the Cloth Hall in the late 19th century.
The New Sukiennice
By this time (the mid 1870s) Poland had been partitioned for nearly a century. Kraków formed part of Austro-Hungarian controlled Galicia but at this time there was something of a renaissance going on. During the period 1875-79 many of the outbuildings were torn down and it was then that the neo-Gothic colonnades and outside arcades were added by Tomasz Pryliński, a student of Jan Matejko. The interior was converted into a series of wooden stalls while upstairs rooms were built to house the first Polish National Museum.
On October 7th 1879 the Krakow City Council voted to give half of the upper floor of the Cloth Hall for the creation of the first Polish National Museum. It quickly became the focal point for a huge celebration of Polish patriotism attracting Poles from all three partitions as well as those from exile abroad. Henryk Siemiradzki, the Polish artist, arrived from Rome and donated his painting Nero’s Torches to act as a touch paper for the further development of the museum. This duly became the first exhibit in the newly created museum. Over the past 130 odd years the museum has, with the temporary interruption of two world wars, continued to display permanent and temporary exhibitions and today is home to the National Museum’s Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art. It still features Siemiradzki’s work today.
The 20th century saw ongoing development of the building with the most significant work being carried out in the late 1950s when much of the 19th century interior was replaced. By the start of the 21st century, however, the building, particularly the display areas inside, was in poor condition and unprepared for the demands of a 21st century museum or shopping area. When the decision was made to start excavating the square, the opportunity was taken to modernise the Cloth Hall as well.
Sukiennice today
Started in August 2006 and lasting over 4 years, the building was given a complete re-modelling with lifts, air-conditioning and new natural and artificial lighting installed while kilometres of electrical cables and plumbing were replaced. Along with that space within the building was re-worked creating over 1,000m2 of new space above the traders stalls. Where once were sloped attics, you will now find terraces overlooking the square below and St. Mary’s opposite. To take advantage of them and the adjacent cafe (open in season only) pay a visit to the Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art where you can pick up audio guides in a number of languages and which has an adult version and a version for children. There is also a snazzy iphone app which you can download for free on itunes which brings the gallery to life. Alternatively you can hire an iphone and app there.
Having visited the Gallery upstairs or the Rynek Underground museum below ground, take a break by visiting the Noworolski Cafe for coffee. This place has been here since the beginning of the 1900s and still carries a hint of the atmosphere it must have held when Lenin, a Kraków resident in his younger years, visited here to take coffee. And round it off by picking up a souvenir or gift in the arcade within the Cloth Hall. You’ll find all sorts of handicrafts, amber and other jewellery at surprisingly reasonable prices. And you’ll have the experience of shopping in what is basically a 700-year old shopping mall.
