Tarnów Market Square, market and town square (Tarnów, Poland)
Tarnów Market Square, known as Rynek, is an open plaza in the city center surrounded by Renaissance buildings built between the 16th and 18th centuries. The Town Hall stands in the middle with its roughly 30-meter-tall tower, and the surrounding merchant houses now contain cafes, restaurants, and cultural spaces that animate the area.
The square was planned in the 14th century as the commercial and social center of Tarnów. The Town Hall was originally built in Gothic style and was redesigned in the Renaissance style at the end of the 16th century, while the surrounding merchant houses grew between the 16th and 18th centuries to reflect the city's economic prosperity.
The square serves as the hub of Tarnów's daily life and local traditions. The daily playing of the hejnał melody from the Town Hall tower at noon connects residents and visitors to the city's long-standing customs and sense of community.
The square is easy to navigate on foot and offers numerous cafes and restaurants where you can sit and observe the surroundings. Spring and summer bring outdoor seating areas to life, and the space regularly hosts events and markets throughout the year that enhance the experience.
The Town Hall houses a clock over 400 years old that is still wound by hand, and notably the clock faces show a two-minute time difference due to the quirks of its old mechanism. This unusual detail is a charming reminder of how mechanical timekeeping worked in earlier centuries.
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