Żarki Market Fairs

Żarki in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland has one of the liveliest markets in the region. The town hall calls it an "open-air supermarket": every Saturday up to 10,000 customers come here, choosing from around 500 stalls on a 1.5-hectare square. The setting is what makes it special – trade thrives beside a group of old barns dating back to the 19th century.

History: from royal privilege to market square

In 1556, in Vilnius, King Sigismund Augustus granted Żarki the right to hold three fairs a year: on St Stanislaus's day, on the Visitation and on St Andrew's day. The town also received a privilege for weekly markets, held on Tuesdays. The oldest residents remembered only the St Stanislaus fair, which lasted a week – from 1 to 8 May – and was devoted mainly to horse and sheep trading. Nobles, merchants and dealers came, according to local accounts even from Italy.

The fairs continued until 1918, when the St Stanislaus church festival moved to the new church in Myszków. The Austrian occupation authorities changed the market day from Tuesday to Wednesday during the First World War. Trading once took place on the Old Market Square in front of the parish church; after the Second World War the market moved to the square by the barns.

What you will see

Today the market runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with Saturdays by far the busiest. Alongside farm produce and everyday goods you can still find live animals – hens, ducks, goats and rabbits – although horses, once Żarki's speciality, are increasingly rare. The square is paved, with pavements and car parks built nearby.

The backdrop to the stalls is a group of stone peasant barns from the second half of the 19th and early 20th century. This former great granary of the town even appeared in scenes of Lech Majewski's film "The Mill and the Cross".

Kupiecki Sąsiek and local flavours

Several times a year the barns host Kupiecki Sąsiek ("the Merchants' Bay"), a showcase of traditional products and crafts. According to the town hall it opens on the Saturday before Palm Sunday and on the Saturdays of the long weekends in May, after Corpus Christi and after the Assumption. Expect hand-painted ostrich eggs, lace and carvings, and to eat, smoked goat's cheese, lard, sour soup and the local tatarczuch bread. In 2006 Kupiecki Sąsiek received a certificate from the Częstochowa Tourism Organisation as the best tourism product.

Tripto tips

• When: come on a Saturday morning – the market is at its largest and the choice is best.
• Time needed: 1–2 hours is enough to wander between the stalls and the barns.
• Next stop: combine the visit with the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Leśniów, the Museum of Old Crafts in the Old Mill and the limestone rocks nearby.
• Note: expect traffic on Saturdays – park in the designated car parks by the market.