The Renaissance Hall Cloth in Cracow
Cracow Monuments and Historic Buildings: The Renaissance Hall Cloth
You can call it a 700-year shopping mall (but without a greasy fast food court). One of our top picks for Krakow, the Renaissance Sukiennice (or Cloth Hall) is one of Krakow’s most recognizable icons and is the central feature of the Main Market Square in the city. The Sukiennice dates back to its golden age in the 15th century and still sees just as much bustling activity today with traveling merchants who come to trade. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Located on Rynek Glowny, the hall received a facelift in 2006 with construction lasting over four years and given modern amenities such as elevators, an air-conditioning unit, new lighting, electrical cables and plumbing. Visitors will find a lot of exotic imports when shopping around including spices, silk, leather and wax as well as exported textiles and lead and salt from the nearby Wieliczka Salt Mine. For those of you that want to bring along your iPads or iPhones, there’s also a free app available that will work as your tour guide.