Ustroń Market Square

Ustroń's market square is not a medieval plaza lined with town houses but a modern space in front of the town hall, remodelled in 2008. Where a car park and taxi rank once stood, there are now benches, a fountain and a small stage under an amphitheatre-style canopy displaying an old photograph of the town. The square is a good starting point for walks around the spa town between Równica and Czantoria.

The square's new look

The remodelling, preceded by several years of planning, cost just under PLN 6.5 million including infrastructure. Cars disappeared from in front of the town hall, replaced by benches, the stage and the fountain, and the opening of the new square was combined with the start of the spa season. The mayor at the time answered critics who spoke of a "stone desert" by saying that a market square is a market square, not a park. Today it is a meeting place for residents and visitors, and the stage under the amphitheatre canopy hosts all kinds of town events.

What to see

• The amphitheatre-style canopy with a large historic photograph of Ustroń – the square's most distinctive feature.
• The town hall, the focal point of the square.
• The fountain with benches, a popular place to rest on warm days.
• The wooden cottages by the square with the private "Stara Zagroda" ethnographic museum.
• The J. Wantuła Public Library at Rynek 4, right in the town centre.

Ustroń around the square

Ustroń is one of only two spa towns in the Silesian Voivodeship. Above it rise Czantoria Wielka (995 m), served by a chairlift, and Równica (884 m). The first mention of the place, as "Ustrona", comes from the register of the Bishopric of Wrocław compiled around 1305. The red Main Beskid Trail leads from the town centre up Równica, and near the square, on Daszyńskiego Street, stands St Clement's Church of 1787.

Tripto tips

15–20 minutes is enough for the square itself, but treat it as a stop on a longer walk: to St Clement's Church, to the Spa Park with its pump room and graduation tower, or to the start of the trail up Równica. Most happens here in the summer season, when the spa fills with visitors. Check the town's events calendar before you go.