Plac Mariacki in Żywiec

Plac Mariacki lies in the very centre of Żywiec, in the Śródmieście district, near the Market Square. Its present appearance is the result of a rebuilding in 1968, carried out for the town's 700th anniversary.

The rebuilding

In 1968 two dilapidated wooden buildings in the southern frontage of the square were pulled down and replaced with a green space in front of the Complex of Economic and Catering Schools. At that time a small island was also created at the junction of Komorowskich and Zamkowa streets.

The animal shelter

From 1979 a small shelter for stray animals operated on the square, run by the artist Maria Tomiak. This initiative gave rise to the Żywiec branch of the Society for the Care of Animals and the first animal shelter, moved in 1990.

Transport and surroundings

By the square is one of the most important stops of the city public transport, created in the 1990s on the site of a former taxi rank. The Market Square and the Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary are right next to it, as is the Żywiec City Museum.

Practical information

• Location: Żywiec-Śródmieście, a few dozen metres from the Market Square.
• It is more a place for changing transport and a passage to the historic sites than a destination to visit.