Warsaw Old Town Market Square, known in Polish as Rynek Starego Miasta, is the principal public square of the capital’s historic district. Its four sides are lined with townhouses, and streets lead from its corners into the surrounding lanes. The square is a useful starting point for walking between the Old Town, the city walls and the Royal Castle, but its meaning is deeper than a scenic stop. It is a place whose visible architecture was reconstructed after wartime destruction, making the question of memory and authenticity part of the visit.
The square was laid out as Warsaw developed at the end of the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth century. A Warsaw Museum curator describes it as the city’s oldest square and explains how its plan organized commercial and civic life. For centuries, the market brought together trade, public ceremonies and residents of different social positions. Wealthy merchants and officials lived in the surrounding houses. The present square should not be confused with the larger Castle Square nearby: each is a separate public space with its own history and relationship to Warsaw’s center.
