Rynek & The Old Town

Retaining its original medieval layout of latticed streets and central market square (Rynek) reached by stairways from a lower, surrounding loop (formerly the city walls and defensive towers), Tarnów’s exemplary Old Town began life in the 14th century, although most of what now stands dates from later on. Its crowning glory is the Rynek, a wide-open plaza surrounded on all four sizes by fine Renaissance merchant houses dating from the 16th to the 18th century.

At the centre of the Rynek stands the Town Hall, a lovely 15th-century building originally constructed in the Gothic style and remodelled at the end of the 16th century in a classic Renaissance manner, topped off with an idiosyncratic 30m tower from which a bugler plays Tarnów’s ‘hejnał’ – a short traditional melody – every day at 12:00. Small compared to its vast Cracovian cousin, the Old Town is still interesting enough to warrant a good investigation, and includes a fairly well preserved Jewish quarter to the east, one remaining defensive tower and a pleasant pedestrian street, hugging its northern edge and featuring several interesting buildings as well as a number of monuments. In the spring and summer the Rynek comes to life with tables and chairs from the multitude of cafes and bars (and surprisingly few restaurants) lining it and has a warm and welcoming appeal.