History

Historical tenement house in the Old Town Square

Learn the history of this place. The place steeped in Cracow stories from several hundred years ago.

Construction of tenement houses

The tenement house at number BRACKA 3–5 was built in the years 1851–1852 as a result of the reconstruction and merging of two adjacent buildings.

The headquarters of municipal authorities

The headquarters of municipal authorities However, the buildings in this area dates back to foundation of Cracow. In this place ascended a residential and defensive tower wich was identified with first municipal authorities headquarters. At the end of XIII or at the beginning XIV century the Mayor Henry, brother of Mayor Albert built here a tower of a limestone, based on a square measuring 9,05 x 9,05 meters and the walls were 1,16 0 1,120 meters thick. The doors and windows frames were made of Gothic brick with a frog made with fingers. In the mid of the XIV The tower was partially blended into a walls of a gothic building called after its owner - Melsztyński House.

A gift from the King of Poland

In XIV century the house belonged to Cracow castellan Spicymir from Melsztyn and was a gift from the King Casimir III the Great. Later the house was inhabited by its inheritors. In 1460 polish writer Jan Długosz himself lived here and four years later Academy Of Cracow bought this building and prepared an accommodation for students.

Art Showroom

In 1904 Zygmunt Sarnecki a publicist, dramatist, novelist, literary and theatre critic, expert in French literature , editor of many magazines opened in this building a first art showroom in cracow called - “Ars”