The Old Town Hall, Olsztyn, Poland

It stands in the center of the Old Town Market Square and originally served as the seat of the city authorities. The oldest part of the building, the southern wing, dates back to around 1500 and was likely built on the site of an earlier structure from the late 14th century, following Olsztyn receiving city rights. The building was destroyed by fire in 1620 but was quickly rebuilt in 1623-24, during which it was enlarged and a turret was added, giving it a more Baroque style. The basement and ground floor were converted into a market hall.

In 1825, the building became a courthouse, and due to expanding judicial needs, the city council had to leave the town hall in 1829. The council returned in 1880 but stayed only until 1915 when it moved to a new town hall. The Old Town Hall then housed the School of Commerce and the Municipal Public Library. During the Nazi era, the building was occupied by the Hitlerjugend.

After the Red Army took control of the city in 1945, the Old Town Hall was burned down. It was rebuilt between 1946 and 1949 but without the turret and some key architectural features. These were restored only during a major renovation from 1996 to 2003, restoring the Gothic look of the southern wing. Today, the building is a three-winged structure with a courtyard enclosed by an arcade with a glass roof. All wings are two stories high, with the southern and northern wings also having usable attics. Notable features include sundials on the southern elevation, which attract many tourists. Currently, the entire building functions as the Voivodeship Public Library.

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The Old Town, Gdańsk, Poland

On the right you can see The Long Market Square with the town hall tower, on the left - St. Mary’s Basilica - the largest church in Europe built of bricks.

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The Long Market Square (Długi Targ), Gdańsk, Poland

The Long Market Square, thanks to its unique atmosphere and rich cultural offer, is a place where everyone will find something for themselves. From cafes and restaurants, through souvenir boutiques, to art galleries. The Long Market Square is bustling with life at any time of day or night.

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The Green Gate, Gdansk, Poland

It was built in the years 1564-1568 on the site of the older - mentioned in 1357 - the Kogi Gate. The authorship of the design is attributed to both the Dutch builder Master Regnier and Hans Kramer, who came from Dresden. Around 1573, a wing was added to the western elevation. The ground floor of the gate housed the city scales, while the wing housed the day and night city guards.

It was supposed to be a royal residence, but despite its beautiful interiors, no king ever lived there. As a consolation, the future wife of the king - Władysław IV - Maria Ludwika Gonzaga stopped here while passing through.

The gate was rebuilt - for the first time in the 19th century, when a third floor was added and the roof was redesigned. 50 years later, a fourth gate was built. After World War II, part of the building collapsed in a fire. The Green Gate was rebuilt in the 1950s, but it was not until 2002 that the interior was opened to visitors for the first time after the war.

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The Long Market Square (Długi Targ), Gdańsk, Poland

Photo taken from The Green Gate.

The Long Market Square is not only the heart of Gdańsk, but also a treasure trove of exceptional examples of architecture. Walking along The Long Market Square allows you to admire the wealth of architectural styles, from Gothic, through Renaissance, to Mannerism. Each building, each tenement house has its own history, reflecting the rich past of Gdańsk.

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The image shows the historic town hall of Wittenberg, located on the market square. This Renaissance building from the 16th century impresses with its ornate façade and shapes the cityscape. In front of it, a lively market scene unfolds—bicycles are parked, people are shopping. It’s a vibrant place where history meets the present.

Das Bild zeigt das historische Rathaus von Wittenberg am Marktplatz. Der Renaissancebau aus dem 16. Jahrhundert beeindruckt mit seiner reich verzierten Fassade und prägt das Stadtbild. Vor dem Gebäude herrscht reges Markttreiben, Fahrräder stehen bereit, Menschen kaufen ein – ein lebendiger Ort voller Geschichte und Gegenwart.

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Mercat Cross in Parliament Square. Edinburgh, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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The Town Hall in Gniew, Poland

Located in the central part of the market square, was built at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. It was originally a quadrangular structure with an internal courtyard, a tower and stalls on the ground floor. The building was seriously damaged during the Swedish wars in the 17th century. A major renovation of the town hall for 6,150 thalers was carried out in 1853 by master mason Erich Obuch from Gniew. A stylish arcade was built in front of the northern elevation and the town hall was decorated with a balcony.

In 1818, the eastern wing was demolished, and in its place in 1823, an Evangelical church was built. The southern wing and the tower were demolished in 1836, and in their place, residential houses were built, which originate from the times when stalls with goods for sale were placed around it. Today, its oldest parts include the basement and the ground floor.

In January 1920, the residents built a field altar in front of the town hall, on which on January 27, parish priest Ignacy Rosentreter celebrated a holy mass for soldiers from the Pomeranian Front of General Józef Haller, who annexed Gniew to Poland after 148 years of partition.

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Kraków's Timeless Tower. #poland #krakow #townhalltower #marketsquare #architecture #blackandwhite #travel #europe #smartphonephotography #photography

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Elbląg, Poland

It is one of the oldest religious buildings in Elbląg and one of the highest temples in Poland. The tower itself is 97 m high, and the viewing terrace is located at about 70 m. To get to the terrace, you have to climb 365 stairs. However the beautiful views at the top, along with the panorama of Elbląg and the surrounding area, compensate for all the effort! :)

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The Przybyłowski Tenement Houses, Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

The Przybyłowski tenement houses were built in 1615, in the southern corner of the Kazimierz market square. Their name comes from the names of the owners, wealthy brothers Mikołaj and Krzysztof Przybyła, who decorated the tenement houses with images of their patron saints. The adjacent houses have an identical arrangement of facades: a ground floor with arcades and a first floor with three windows. The facades are richly decorated with bas-reliefs depicting people, animals, plant and linear ornaments, Christian and mythological, medieval fantasies and Renaissance grotesques. All this is interwoven with Latin philosophical maxims. Both tenement houses were apparently polychrome, as evidenced by the traces still visible today.

The older tenement house, “Under Saint Nicholas”, is named after the bas-relief of Saint Nicholas placed between the first floor windows. The decorative pilasters in the corners of the building feature bas-reliefs of Saint James and Saint Thomas. After 1772, the building served as the town hall.

The tenement house “Under Saint Krzysztof” took its name from the gigantic bas-relief in the center of the facade, showing Saint Christopher, carrying little Jesus through the water, sitting on his shoulder. The figures of Judith and Salome appear on the pilasters in the corners of the building. The roof of the building has been preserved in its original form, i.e. it is concave.

Currently, the Przybyłowski Tenement Houses house the City Hall and the Bank.

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