Old towns & squares

Market Square in Olkusz

A square laid out in 1299 when the town was chartered forms the axis of the Old Town of Olkusz — six streets radiate from it, and around it stand town houses built mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Beneath the pavement lie the remains of a Gothic town hall from the late 14th century, and in the cellars of the house at number 4 the mint of King Sigismund Augustus once operated.

The town hall that returned as an outline

The first brick town hall was built here at the end of the 14th century. In 1787 it hosted King Stanisław August Poniatowski, and a few decades later the dilapidated building was demolished. The revitalisation was preceded by archaeological research, which uncovered the remains of a structure measuring 14 × 21 m, with a clearly visible outline of the town-hall tower. After restoration the line of the walls can be seen in the surface of the square, and the reconstructed ground floor is ultimately intended to serve as an entrance to an underground museum and as a stage.

A mint beneath a town house

Under the building at Rynek 4 survive the cellars of the former mint of King Sigismund Augustus from 1579. It is one of the more fascinating traces of the rich past of Olkusz, a royal town that for centuries lived from mining and trade.

On site

The remodelling of 2011–2013 moved the parking away from the square and added two fountains, wooden benches and stylish lighting for the square and the basilica. Right next door stands the Gothic Basilica of St Andrew, and in the western frontage two large town houses serve as the town hall offices. The square is accessible around the clock.