The Cloth Hall
The Cloth Hall, or “Sukiennice,” hunkers down precisely in the middle of the old town square like a big, lazy creature. You can’t go anywhere without navigating around it or through it. Built 700 years ago, and given a Renaissance facelift in the mid-1500s, it seems to care little for the swarms of picture snapping tourists surrounding it on all sides. The strange masks of Santi Gucci overlook the structure and guard entrances through ancient columns and arches. Once under the roof, you feel as if the groaning structure could, if it chose, fall to its belly and crush all of the trinket buyers inside.
In truth—and thankfully—I don’t think that the Sukiennice is going to crush anyone anytime soon. Instead, it welcomes the beehive of motion around it. All of the visitors inside seem delighted to stand right in the belly of the beast, right in the absolute center of the Old Town. They drink in cafes and shop for deals on amber jewelry. As it has for 700 years, the Sukiennice forms a sort of shopping mall. You can dodge the rain here, bargain with a merchant, and hopefully find a nice souvenir to take home when your trip is over.
As you sit in a comfortable chair in one of the outdoor cafes at the Sukiennice, it is not difficult to imagine it as it was centuries ago, a center of international trade placed artfully along the Amber Road. With a nod to its past, however, it is easier, and a lot more fun, to enjoy it as it is today: alive, loud, crowded, and a great place to do some serious people watching.
Tags:
Topic: The Cloth Hall
No comments found.