Warsaw

Old Town Square

  Rynek Starego Miasta ,   Old Town         29 Nov 2023
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Measuring 90 by 73 metres, the ​Old Town Square (Rynek Starego Miasta) is Warsaw’s defining highlight, lined with richly decorated burgher houses whose design dates back to the 17th century. The facades hide a treasure trove of decorative elements - keep an eye out for our favourite, the 'House Under the Lion,' which features frescos by Zofia Stryjeńska (our big interwar Polish artist crush - look her up) at the southwest corner leading onto ul. Świetojańska. Today these tenements host numerous museums and cultural institutions - in fact the Museum of Warsaw (Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42), which will give you some great insight into the deep and storied history of this glorious square, occupies the entire northern side of the square. There are also plenty souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes, with ample outdoor seating in the spring and summer. At number 27 you'll find Warsaw's oldest and most prestigious restaurant, U Fukiera.
Frescos from 1928 by Zofia Stryjeńska; Rynek Starego Miasta

During the 15th century the centre of the square was home to Warsaw’s Town Hall, though this was pulled down in 1817 and never replaced. Today, it's most famous feature is Warsaw’s best-loved monument and the city's defining symbol - Syrenka. Designed by Varsovian sculptor Konstanty Hegel, Warsaw's warrior mermaid dates back to 1855, and is actually an exact copy of the original, which can be seen in the Museum of Warsaw. This busty vixen's form graces every bus, tram and coat of arms you'll find in the capital.
Warsaw's Old Town Market Square in December.

In winter the square is turned into a large ice rink, and in December it hosts part of Warsaw's Christmas market.

Associated Venues

Museum of Warsaw, Main Branch
Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42
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Found inside 11 conjoined historical tenement buildings on the Old Town Square, the Museum of Warsaw's revamped he
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U Fukiera
Rynek Starego Miasta 27
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The most famous and oldest restaurant in town, and not by just a few years, we're talking about a tradition going all the way back to the 16th century! Taken under the wing of
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World of Illusion
Rynek Starego Miasta 21
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An altogether different museum (in every sense of the word) in the heart of Warsaw's Old Town, right on the
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Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature
Rynek Starego Miasta 20
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Widely regarded as Poland's greatest poet, Adam Mickiewicz is right up there with European heavies Byron and Goethe. A 'national bard' of not only Poland, but also Lithaunia and Belarus, he is responsible for inspiring Romanticism in Poland, and you c
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Bazyliszek
Rynek Starego Miasta 1/3
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Bazyliszek is everything a camera-toting tourist could want in a restaurant on the Rynek: costumed staff, kegs used as part of the décor and reasonably priced beer to drink in their big seasonal garden. The meat-heavy menu is a somewhat bland introductio
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Gallery Rynek 30
Rynek Starego Miasta 32
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Bringing a bit of youth and modernity to the Old Town Market Square, this small gallery associated with the
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Plac Zamkowy
Plac Zamkowy
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Most visits to the Old Town begin on Plac Zamkowy, the primary landmarks of which are the Royal Castle and the famous King Sigismund’s Column. More of a triangle than a square, th
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'Syrenka' - Old Town Warsaw Mermaid
Rynek Starego Miasta
/warsaw/syrenka-old-town-warsaw-mermaid_18432v
The most famous mermaid statue, or at least the one which gets the most daily eyeballs on it, is the sculpture in Warsaw's Old Town Square. This
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