The historic Town Hall of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, known as

Ratusz A ''Ratusz'' () (german: Rathaus; russian: Ратуша, ''Ratusha''; lt, Rotušė) is a historic administrative building in countries that adopted the Magdeburg rights such as the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and others ...

in Polish, was demolished in 1820. It was constructed of brick and mortar for the first time in 1316 as one of its subsequent several versions built over the following centuries. It was the city's administrative hub and seat of the great council, magistrate, and mayor from the 14th until the early 19th century. It was located in the centre of Main Square in the

Kraków Old Town Kraków Old Town is the historic central district of Kraków, Poland.Ingrid GustafsonLet's Go: Eastern EuropePublished by Macmillan, page 444. Let's Go Publications, 2008. It is one of the most famous old districts in Poland today and was the c ...

. It used to be one of Poland's oldest seats of civic government. Of the building, only the Town Hall Tower remains, serving as prominent example of the

Polish Gothic architecture The Gothic architecture arrived in Poland in the first half of the 13th century with the arrival of the Dominican and Franciscan orders. The first elements of the new style are evident in the foundation of the Dominican Trinity church in Kraków ...

in the city.Kamil Janicki (2012)
Co się stało z krakowskim ratuszem?
(History of Kraków Town Hall) Ciekawostki turystyczne. The building was situated next to the

Kraków Cloth Hall The Kraków Cloth Hall ( pl, Sukiennice, ), in Lesser Poland, dates to the Renaissance in Poland, Renaissance and is one of the city's most recognizable icons. It is the central feature of the Main Market Square, Kraków, main market square in t ...

in the south-western part of the Main Square. The construction and reconstruction periods stretched across centuries, with various parts of the building enlarged and remodelled. The Town Hall was demolished in 1820 under the

Austrian Partition The Austrian Partition ( pl, zabór austriacki) comprise the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth acquired by the Habsburg monarchy during the Partitions of Poland in the late 18th century. The three partition (politics), p ...

of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

when the Main Square was also rebuilt, with only the tower being saved following public protests among prominent Cracovians. The building housed various offices of the city. There are proposals to reconstruct it.

References

3D rendering of the town hall in Kraków

Town hall 3D rendering (part 2)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krakow Town Hall City and town halls in Poland Buildings and structures in Kraków Tourist attractions in Kraków Former buildings and structures in Poland Buildings and structures demolished in 1820 Demolished buildings and structures in Poland

See also

References