Every visit to Stary Sącz begins here. The low houses, the well and the paving of river cobbles make it easy to forget which century we are in.
They say that whoever has not strolled across the market square of Stary Sącz has not seen Stary Sącz at all. The square was laid out back in the days of Duchess Kinga, and its regular shape came with the second town charter of 1357–1358. Two streets run out of each corner – a layout used in towns chartered on the Spiš and Hungarian model.
Once upon a time a brick town hall with a tower and market stalls stood in the middle, but the great fire of 1795 consumed it. No one ever rebuilt it. In its place stands a well from 1848 – a well, mind you, not a fountain. The lime trees were planted in 1877, and the river-cobble paving was laid in 1861–1872. After the restoration of 2006–2007 some 1,250,000 “cat’s heads”, as the cobbles are called locally, were counted.
Today 22 houses line the square; originally there were 25. They hold cafés, restaurants, the “House on the Hollows” museum and the tourist information point. It is loveliest here early in the morning, before the town wakes up, or late in the afternoon, when the sun settles on the house fronts. Sit for a moment beneath a lime tree and plan the rest of your day. The convent, the parish church and the museum are only a few steps away.
Photographs
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The market square paved with “cat’s heads” cobbles – after the 2006–2007 restoration photo Andrzej Harassek · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source -
The market square with its cobblestones and the old pump at the well photo Scotch Mist · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source -
A plaque commemorating John III Sobieski on the market square photo Scotch Mist · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source -
The market square in 1905 – single-storey houses, river-cobble paving and lime trees still young photo unknown author · Public domain · Source -
The market square on a tinted postcard from 1916–1923 photo unknown author · Public domain · Source
This place then and now →
