Market Square in Opatów

Opatów's Market Square (pronounced roughly "oh-PAH-toof"), officially Obrońców Pokoju Square, is a long, narrow square at the heart of one of the oldest towns in southeastern Poland's Świętokrzyskie region. An arcaded town hall lines the square, and beneath your feet lies the Underground Tourist Route, a maze of medieval merchants' cellars carved into soft loess. The towers of the 12th-century Romanesque Collegiate Church of St. Martin rise just behind the rooftops.

Where it is and how to get there

Opatów sits on the S74 expressway about 30 km from Sandomierz, a popular historic town on the Vistula. Kraków is roughly 150 km away and Kielce, the regional capital, around 60 km. A car is the easiest option; parking is available around the square.

A merchant town built over its storerooms

Opatów received town rights under Magdeburg law in 1328 and thrived on trade routes linking Kraków with Vilnius and Magdeburg with Kyiv. From the 15th century, the regional nobility met in the collegiate church, which guaranteed local merchants buyers for wine, salt, leather and spices. Goods were stored underground: the loess layer here is almost 20 m (65 ft) thick, so merchants dug ever deeper chambers beneath their houses.

The town hall

The two-story town hall dates from the late 16th or early 17th century and has four bays of arcades facing the square. Tradition links it to Chancellor Krzysztof Szydłowiecki, the town's great patron. In the 19th century, under Russian rule, it served as barracks and then as an Orthodox church; today it houses the town council. Monuments and a wooden gazebo surrounded by greenery decorate the square.

The Underground Tourist Route: hours and tickets

The route, named after Professor Zbigniew Strzelecki, whose team from Kraków's AGH University saved the cellars from collapse, opened in 1984. It is about 500 m (1,640 ft) long, on three levels, the deepest 14.5 m (48 ft) below the square. Visits are by guided tour only and take about 45 minutes.

As of October 2026:

• October–May: daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m., tours on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (longer hours in summer)
• Tickets: 27 PLN adult, 22 PLN reduced, children under 3 free
• Phone: +48 506 789 486

Tours are in Polish; ask in advance about foreign-language guiding. Families with school-age kids usually enjoy the maze of corridors and merchant legends. It is 8–12°C (46–54°F) underground, so bring a sweater, and note that group limits apply.

Is it worth visiting? What's nearby

Yes, especially combined with the town's other gems. A few minutes away, the Collegiate Church of St. Martin, a national Historic Monument since 2023, holds the famous bronze Opatów Lament relief by the workshop of Bartolommeo Berrecci, showing 41 mourners at the Szydłowiecki tomb (separate entry fee). Don't miss the Warsaw Gate, the only surviving gate of the 16th-century town walls. Plan 2–3 hours for Opatów, then continue to Sandomierz for the evening.