Mensa carnifiucium in Wrocław, Historical meat market complex in Wrocław, Poland.
The Mensa Carnificum is a historic complex of butcher stalls on Malarska Street in central Wrocław, Poland. It consists of a row of adjoining chambers with stone walls and wooden doors, forming a dense, connected market area.
The lane of butcher stalls was created in 1242, when Duke Bolesław Rogatka bought the inns from the monks and transferred them to the town wójt; the town council then purchased the right to run the stalls. A dispute with the duke's successors lasted until 1261, when the townspeople won. The name "Stare Ławy Mięsne" first appears in 1375, and the stalls remained in the butchers' guild's ownership until 1843.
The name "Mensa Carnificum" comes from Latin and means something like "table" or "bench of the butchers". Walking through the narrow passages today, visitors can still see the small chambers with their wooden doors that once served as individual selling stalls.
The complex sits in central Wrocław and is easy to reach on foot from the main square. A daytime visit is best, since the stone walls and narrow passages are easier to read in natural light.
The lane was laid out in 1242 under Duke Bolesław Rogatka, who bought the inns from the monks and handed them to the town's vogt; the townspeople kept the stalls after a dispute with his successors that ran until 1261. Two houses, Nos. 1 and 2, keep their old room layout, wooden ceilings and acanthus-leaf polychrome.
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