The historic Town Hall of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, known as

Ratusz A ''Ratusz'' (; ; ) is a historic administrative building in countries that adopted the Magdeburg rights such as the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and others. It was distinguished with a bell tower ( lookout or a clock tow ...

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 area of Kraków, Poland.Ingrid GustafsonLet's Go: Eastern Europe Published by Macmillan, page 444. Let's Go Publications, 2008. It is one of the most famous old areas in Poland today and was the centre ...

. 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 (, ), in Lesser Poland, dates to the Renaissance in Poland, Renaissance and is one of the city's most recognizable monuments. It is the central feature of the Main Market Square, Kraków, main market square in the Kraków ...

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 of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

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