Poznan Old Market Square

The Stary Rynek is one of the biggest market squares in Poland, and the building that holds it together is the town hall rebuilt in the 1550s by Giovanni Battista di Quadro with a three-tier loggia across its front. At noon a small door opens above the clock and two metal goats step out to butt heads twelve times, a mechanism the city has kept running for generations and which draws a crowd every single day. In front of the hall stands a row of little arcaded stallholders' houses, painted in strong colours. Much of what surrounds them was rebuilt from ruins after 1945 and the work still shows in places.

History

The first settlement of Poznań was on the island of Ostrów Tumski from at least the 9th century, and the town on the left bank of the Warta, built around this square, received its charter in 1253, a few years after work began on the Royal Castle on its western side. The square's sides are about 140 metres long, and it is the third largest market square in Poland, after those of Kraków and Wrocław (Wikipedia, Old Market Square, Poznań).

What's there

• The goats at noon - the clock mechanism above the town hall front, watched from the square below.
• The town hall - di Quadro's Renaissance loggia outside and vaulted painted rooms inside.
• The stallholders' houses - the narrow arcaded row in the middle of the square.
• The baroque fountains - Proserpine, Apollo, Mars and Neptune at the corners of the square.

When to go

Arrive by ten to twelve for the goats and stand on the west side so you are not looking into the sun. Terraces run from May to September. December brings a Christmas market and an ice rink. The town hall museum closes one or two days a week and the goats perform regardless of whether it is open.

Practical notes

Poznan is a trade fair city, so hotel prices spike without warning when a large fair is on. The square came out of a long renovation with new paving that divides local opinion. Bar terraces take up a lot of the space and the noise runs late at weekends. The goats last about a minute, and people always say so afterwards.

Nearby

The cathedral island of Ostrow Tumski, the oldest part of the city, is a short walk east.