Market Square (Rynek) in Bielsko-Biała

Market Square (Rynek) in Bielsko-Biała is a rectangular square measuring about 80 by 60 metres, which forms the heart of the Old Town. It lies on Town Hill (Wzgórze Miejskie), in the Śródmieście Bielsko district. Its shape has not changed since the town's foundation charter in the early 14th century, and its buildings date mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries.

How the square came about and what shaped it

The layout of the square was set out when the town was chartered under German law, and the first written mention of Bielsko dates from 1312. Two streets lead off each corner, which is typical of medieval Silesian towns. The greatest influence on today's appearance came from the rebuilding after the great fires of the town in 1808 and 1836.

In the 19th century the economic centre moved to the Lower Suburb (Dolne Przedmieście) and the Market Square lost importance. It served as a marketplace until the mid-20th century. The whole urban layout and the townhouses around the square are entered in the heritage register.

Townhouses and the square itself

The buildings are dominated by brick townhouses with modest Neoclassical features, one and two storeys high, on narrow plots. They had arcades until the fire of 1808, and today these have been recreated only in the western frontage. At number 9 stands the former town hall from 1819, and at number 11-12 an Art Nouveau townhouse from 1912, the last large building investment on the square.

In the middle of the square stands a fountain with a sculpture of Neptune, from which an artificial channel with an illuminated model of the whole Market Square runs eastwards. The fountain and the channel are usually switched off in winter. On the paving you can also see exposed archaeological remains: a stone well and the foundations of a building identified as the town weigh-house, covered with glass. In the south-western part stands a copy of the monument of St John of Nepomuk, while the original went in the 1930s to St Nicholas Cathedral.

Revitalisation after 1998

In December 1998 townhouse no. 4-5 in the western frontage collapsed. From 2002 a revitalisation programme for the Old Town was under way: the collapsed townhouse was rebuilt together with its arcades, and in 2005-2006 the paving of the square, which in the communist period had been a green square, was rebuilt. Today the Old Town is one of the centres of the town's cultural and entertainment life.

Nearby

The square lies a few hundred metres from several places described on the portal: Sułkowski Dukes' Castle and the Władysław Reymont Museum of Literature. Further on, within walking distance, are the monuments to Bielsko's cartoon heroes: Reksio and Bolek and Lolek.

Practical information

• Location: Old Town, Śródmieście Bielsko; the square is open all the time.
• The streets Podcienie, Słowackiego, Wzgórze, Schodowa, Cieszyńska, Kościelna, Celna and Kręta lead off from the corners.
• The fountain and channel usually operate outside winter.
• Premises in the townhouses around the square have their own opening hours; check them before a visit.