Kraków In Your Pocket - Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

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Kraków In Your Pocket editor Garret Van Reed on the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice). Kraków's Rynek is the natural ground zero of the city, and sitting in the middle of it all like a cake with a cherry on it is the Cloth Hall known to natives as the Sukiennice. Its come a long way since the times when it was no more than a line of two walls, their purpose being to shelter traders' carts at night. In the 14th century, as more and more stalls sprang up around it, King Casimir the Great allowed for it to take the form of a huge hall. This was to become the centre of trade for Krakóws merchants, bakers, cloth makers and fishmongers, and technically one of the world's first, if not the first, shopping malls. During the 16th century the hall underwent a renaissance facelift overseen by Jan Maria Padovano, and brilliantly deformed gargoyles were added to the façade. The late 19th century saw many of the outbuildings torn down and it was then that the neo-Gothic colonnades were added the brainchild of Tomasz Pryliński, a student of Jan Matejko. Inside you can now shop for garish souvenirs and local craftwork inside the draughty halls, or by taking high tea, like Lenin and his mistress once did, in the Noworolski café.
For more sightseeing in Kraków check out Kraków In Your Pocket: http://krakow.inyourpocket.com/sightseeing/category/67169-Places_of_interest....

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