A square in the centre of Pszczyna with buildings dating from after the fire of 1748, leading to the castle.
The Market Square (Rynek) in Pszczyna is a rectangular square running east to west, entered in the heritage register in 1967. Its western end leads to the castle, and the 18th and 19th-century buildings around it survive as a compact whole.
The settlement from which Pszczyna grew was probably founded in the 11th-12th century on a trade route running from Kraków through Oświęcim towards the Moravian Gate. After the town was chartered in the 13th century, the square became a market place, with weekly markets and annual fairs. It took its present rectangular form in the 14th-15th century, when the town was surrounded by timber and earth fortifications. Two streets led out of each corner, and from the north-western corner a road led to the stronghold, from the mid-15th century a masonry castle.
The houses around the square were originally wooden and were destroyed by fire many times. The first brick buildings were the town hall of 1658 and the Evangelical church of 1743-1746, both on the northern side. After the great fire of 1748, brick houses replaced the timber buildings, and the square has kept its layout ever since. The houses have two storeys, are mostly two-bay, and have gable roofs. The compact frontage of the southern side is the best preserved, and the most striking building is the Baroque Frykówka in the corner of the northern side, by ul. Ratuszowa.
The western side was never built up with residential houses, because this was the approach to the castle, from 1687 through the Gate of the Chosen (Brama Wybrańców), which still stands. The former outbuildings by the gate disappeared in the 19th century during the rebuilding of the castle in 1870-1874.
After the rebuilding of the 1990s, plane trees were planted around the edges and a replica of the old well was recreated. In 2009 a bench with a statue of Princess Daisy was installed in the western part. The latest rebuilding, preceded by archaeological work, took place in 2015: the paved area of 0.32 ha was given a new surface, and a small plaza with fountains was created in the eastern part. In summer the square hosts open-air events, including the "Daisy's Gardens" horticultural show, and in winter there is an ice rink.
The monument that stood here from 1876 was removed from the square after 1945; its stone spire went into the monument in the Soviet soldiers' cemetery in the park.
The western end of the square leads straight to Pszczyna Castle, and the synagogue is not far away. The walk can be extended to the Pszczyna Village Farmstead.
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