Little Market Square in Kraków

The Little Market Square (Mały Rynek, say "MAH-wih RIH-nek") in Kraków is a long, cobbled square tucked directly behind St. Mary's Basilica – a calmer sidekick to the vast Main Market Square and one of the oldest trading spots in the city. Lined with pastel townhouses, St. Barbara's Church and café terraces, it is the place to catch your breath without leaving the heart of Kraków's UNESCO-listed Old Town, and it shows a side of the church most visitors never see.

Where it is

Kraków's Old Town is about 15 km from John Paul II Kraków-Balice Airport and a 10–15 minute walk from the main railway station. The Little Market Square lies only 100–150 m east of the Main Market Square: walk around St. Mary's Basilica along Mikołajska Street (north) or Sienna Street (south) and you are there. The nearest tram stops are on the Planty ring road around the Old Town, for example Poczta Główna.

History: from butchers' stalls to café tables

The square was laid out when Kraków received its town charter in the 13th century, as an auxiliary market to the main square. It is a neat rectangle of about 0.33 hectares (roughly 110 × 30 m / 360 × 100 ft).

Its old names tell its story: Forum antiquum (the Old Market), Tandeta (a word for cheap secondhand goods), and in the 18th century the Butchers' Market, after the meat stalls and the butchers' guild based here. From the 16th century, secondhand traders worked here too, and in winter a stall by St. Mary's churchyard sold hot roast goose. The wooden butchers' stalls were gone by 1820, the Gothic St. Mary's School was torn down around 1812 to widen Sienna Street, and the square became a fruit and vegetable market. The name Mały Rynek only caught on in the mid-19th century.

A darker episode: in 1539, 80-year-old Katarzyna Weiglowa was burned at the stake here for abandoning the Catholic faith. Until the 2000s the square was mostly a parking lot and taxi rank; it was restored for the 750th anniversary of Kraków's charter in 2007, with new paving, lamps, benches and an illuminated fountain.

Things to see

• St. Barbara's Church – a Gothic church on the west side; the square was once simply called "the square in front of St. Barbara's."
• The back of St. Mary's Basilica – a quieter, very photogenic angle on its chancel and towers.
• No. 6, the Szober House – where Merkuriusz Polski, considered Poland's first newspaper, was printed in 1661; the anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski lived here as a child.
• No. 7, the Altarists' House – a 14th-century townhouse with a courtyard of 17th-century wooden galleries.
• No. 1, the Fritsch House – Gothic in origin, remodeled in Baroque style.

Is it worth visiting? Practical tips (as of October 2026)

Yes – it takes only 20–45 minutes, and it is a pleasant break from the crowds and a good place to find an outdoor table. Fairs and food festivals are held here during the year, a modern echo of its market past.

• Admission: free; the square is open 24/7.
• Cars: the Old Town is a restricted traffic zone, so leave your car outside the Planty ring.
• Accessibility: flat but cobbled, which can be bumpy with a stroller or wheelchair.
• Money: cafés and stalls take Polish złoty (PLN); cards are widely accepted in central Kraków.

Nearby

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), St. Mary's Basilica with Veit Stoss's carved altarpiece and the Rynek Underground museum are a few minutes' walk away; Mikołajska Street leads to the Planty park and the Barbican.