Ignacy Daszyński Square in Częstochowa

Ignacy Daszyński Square is a square in the centre of Częstochowa, in the Old Town district, called the New Market Square (Nowy Rynek) until 1934. Six streets meet here, and the square lies on the pilgrim route to Jasna Góra and adjoins the Old Market Square.

The former cemetery and market

From the Middle Ages the cemetery of the nearby parish with the chapel of the Holy Cross was located here. It was closed down in 1825 when Aleja Najświętszej Maryi Panny was being laid out. Later markets were held here, until 1934, when they were moved to Narutowicz Market Square in Zawodzie. In the People's Republic era a monument to the victory of the Soviet Army stood in the middle of the square; since 2008 a monument to Pope John Paul II has stood in the central part.

Buildings and St Sigismund's Church

The northern and southern frontages are occupied by 19th-century tenement houses, mostly of one or two upper floors, late Neoclassical, eclectic and without a style. Several of them are entered in the heritage register. To the east of the square stands the 14th-century Church of St Sigismund, the oldest church in the city. Its interior and form are Baroque, with Gothic remnants. In the 1960s archaeologists discovered here the remains of the town's fortifications with a gate, probably from the 16th century, but in the end the finds were buried again.

The square during the Second World War

During the occupation the square was called Ostring and lay within the large ghetto. During the liquidation of the ghetto it became a place of concentration and selection of Jews deported to Treblinka. More about this period in the entry on the place of remembrance, The Ghetto in Częstochowa.

Practical information

• Location: the centre of Częstochowa, Old Town, six streets: Aleja Najświętszej Maryi Panny, Warszawska, Krakowska, Mirowska, Ogrodowa and Berka Joselewicza.
• The square is public, with no tickets. St Sigismund's Church has its own service times, which should be checked before a visit.