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The Cloth Hall is to be found in the centre of Rynek Glowny, the main market square at the centre of the old city. It is an attractive, imposing building with arcades and cafes. Built in 1344, the Cloth Hall was designed as a shelter for some of the market stalls that were to be found in the square at the time. The building was damaged by fire in 1555 and much of it was rebuilt and underwent further reconstruction in the 19th century. The building still has a commercial function. The arcades have a number of stalls selling a variety of souvenirs including carved wooden figures, jewelry, clothing and leather bags. It is the perfect place to come and browse for gifts or souvenirs. You might want to sit outside at one of the many tables and watch the world go by, weather depending. Inside you'll also find the Cloth Hall Gallery - a branch of the National Museum - where you can see a great selection of 19th and early 20th century paintings by the most significant Polish artists of the time. The gallery itself is quite small but there are some quite large canvases inside. The scale of the gallery makes it quite easy to look around and it shouldn't take long to see the whole place. |