Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) and Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) at Rynek Glowny 3 stands in the middle of Krakow's Main Market Square in Lesser Poland and has served as a trading hall since the Middle Ages. Its present Renaissance form, with a decorative parapet topped by carved masks, dates from the 16th century, and the neo-Gothic arcades along the sides were added in the 19th century. The long ground-floor passage is lined with stalls selling amber jewellery, wood carvings, linen, leather goods and souvenirs, and it stays busy from about 10:00 to 18:00 daily. Upstairs is a branch of the National Museum in Krakow, the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art, which is reached by a staircase at the south end. Its large rooms hold major Polish paintings of the 1800s, including big historical canvases by Jan Matejko such as Homage of Prussia, as well as works by Jacek Malczewski and Jozef Chelmonski. The gallery is normally open Tuesday to Sunday and closed Monday, with a ticket of about 35 PLN for adults. The arcade can be walked in 20 to 30 minutes, while the gallery needs about an hour. Weekday mornings are the quietest time for both; summer afternoons bring tour groups to the stalls. Under the arcade the cafe Noworolski, in operation since 1910, has an ornate interior that is a popular stop for coffee and cake. For photographs, the best view of the building is from the steps of the Mickiewicz monument and from the St. Mary's Basilica side, with the facade framed by the Town Hall Tower. Visitors buying amber are advised to compare several stalls, since quality and prices vary, and to ask for a certificate of authenticity for expensive pieces. The Cloth Hall lies in the middle of the Old Town and is reached on foot from any direction.