Plac Nowy (New Square)
Plac Nowy (New Square) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Kraków. Give it roughly ~20 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type square
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Kraków Kraków guide
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About Plac Nowy (New Square)
By day a flea market, by night the pulsing centre of Kazimierz nightlife, and at its heart a little round hall serving Kraków's legendary late-night zapiekanka.
Plac Nowy, the 'New Square', is the central market square of Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter of Kraków, and took its present form over the course of the 19th century. At its centre stands the Okrąglak, a twelve-sided brick market hall built in 1900 whose many facets read as a circle, giving it its name, 'the round one'. Originally a general commercial hall, it was leased to the Jewish community and converted into a kosher poultry slaughterhouse in 1927; contrary to a common claim, it was never a synagogue or a ritual bath. The Germans closed it during the occupation, and after the war it returned to use as a market hall. Today its serving hatches are food stalls famous for zapiekanka, a toasted open baguette that has become a Kraków street-food icon. By day the square hosts a flea and produce market; by night it anchors Kazimierz's bar scene.
Did you know? The Okrąglak looks round but is really a twelve-sided polygon of short brick walls; there are so many of them that the eye simply rounds off the corners and reads the whole building as a circle.
How long is a visit to Plac Nowy (New Square)?
Set aside roughly ~20 min for Plac Nowy (New Square). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Plac Nowy (New Square) worth your time?
Plac Nowy (New Square) is among the 20 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Kraków, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Kraków
- Remuh Synagogue (Synagoga Remuh)
- Ghetto Heroes' Square (Plac Bohaterów Getta)
- Old Synagogue (Stara Synagoga)
- Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory (Fabryka Emalia Oskara Schindlera)
- Kazimierz
- Auschwitz-Birkenau (Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau)
- Dragon's Den (Smocza Jama)
- Wieliczka Salt Mine (Kopalnia soli Wieliczka)
Day 2 of the Kraków in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Plac Nowy (New Square)
Preview the Kraków tour free in the Gingerguide app.