Page 106 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Krakow

104  KR AK OW AREA B Y AREA

7 The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

Situated in the Market Square, this elaborate
structure has evolved from simple stone trading
stalls (dating to the time of Kazimierz the Great)
to a pretty shopping arcade. Rebuilt to the design
of Giovanni Maria Mosca following a fire in 1555, it
was remodelled entirely in 1875 by Tomasz Pryliński.
As well as stalls selling a variety of handicrafts and
souvenirs, the Cloth Hall houses the Gallery of 19th
Century Polish Art. The Noworolski Café, one of the
best in Krakow, is a good place to relax after seeing
the paintings and picking up a souvenir or two.

Frenzy of Exultations (1894) by
Władysław Podkowiński
Originally considered daringly erotic,
this Symbolist painting aroused much
controversy when it was first displayed.

Four-in-hand (1881) by
Józef Chełmoński
Paintings by Symbolists as well as
Realists are exhibited alongside
the Four-in-hand.

Entrance
to stalls

Arcades
The side arcades and oriels were
added during the rebuilding in
1875. The arcades echo the
medieval architecture of Venice.