Zamość Town Hall

Zamość Town Hall is the defining landmark of Zamość (say "ZAH-moshch"), the Renaissance planned town in southeastern Poland. Set into the north side of the Great Market Square, it rises to a 52-meter (170 ft) clock tower and is fronted by a sweeping fan-shaped double staircase. It still houses the city government, and it is the image on almost every postcard of this UNESCO World Heritage town.

History

Work on the first town hall began in 1591. Around 1605 the tower was in danger of collapse and had to be shored up with buttresses. The building took its present Mannerist form in 1639–1651, when it was enlarged and topped with decorative attics. The famous fan staircase was added in 1767–1770.

In the 19th century, when Zamość was a fortress in the Russian-controlled Kingdom of Poland, the town hall was remodeled in a plain Neoclassical style (1823–1825) and lost its attics; a jail was also added at the back. A reconstruction in 1937–1939 brought back the 17th-century look, and the most recent restoration of the facade, stairs and tower was completed in 2010.

What to look for

• The fan staircase, with the Zamoyski coat of arms placed there in 1937.
• The noon bugle call: in season it is played daily at 12:00, but only in three directions. Legend says Jan Zamoyski, at odds with King Sigismund III Vasa, refused to salute Kraków to the west.
• A plaque commemorating the UNESCO listing of the Old Town in 1992.
• Its position: the building is not in the middle of the square but set into the frontage, a reminder that in this private town the lord outranked the burghers.

The town hall cellars

Since 2011, a guided route has run through the cellars of the town hall annex. It covers the building's history and archaeological finds, including a water cistern with its supply channel, a 19th-century well and the former lock-up. Tours start from the tourist office on the ground floor and must be booked by phone.

Practical information

As of October 2026:

• Address: Rynek Wielki 13, Zamość. Tourist information on the ground floor, phone +48 84 639 22 92.
• Cellar tour times: October and April daily at 2 pm; May–September at 11 am and 2 pm; other months, including winter 2026/27, by prior arrangement.
• Tickets: PLN 20, reduced PLN 16, under-7s free; a foreign-language guide is PLN 100 extra per group.
• Interior: the building is a working city hall, not a museum.

How long to stay

Fifteen minutes is enough to admire the exterior; allow about an hour with the cellar tour. The facade looks best from midday into the afternoon and is floodlit at night.

How to get there

The town hall is on the main square in the heart of the Old Town, about a 15-minute walk from Zamość Starówka station. Direct trains reach Zamość from Lublin in about 2 hours and from Warsaw in about 4.5 hours.

Nearby

• Armenian Houses and the Zamość Museum, next door to the east.
• Salt Market, right behind the town hall.
• Cathedral, about 200 m southwest.