Wroclaw Market Hall

The Hala Targowa opened in 1908 and its interest is as much structural as culinary: the roof is carried on parabolic reinforced concrete arches, an early and confident use of the material, left exposed above the stalls. Below them the hall still works as a market rather than a food court. The ground floor is produce, meat, cheese, bread, pickles and flowers, with a gallery running round above for household goods and a few counters selling cooked food. Prices are ordinary city prices and the customers are largely local. It sits between the old town and the cathedral island, so it slots easily into a walk between the two.

History

Designed by Richard Plüddemann, the hall was built in 1906-1908 as Breslauer Markthalle Nr 1, when the city belonged to the German Empire, together with a smaller hall of the same structure on Kolejowa Street; both were meant to bring the street trading of the city centre under one roof, and once they opened all the street markets moved inside. Its reinforced concrete trusses were then unique in Europe. The building came through the Second World War without severe damage and was soon back in use, while the Kolejowa hall was lost and its ruins cleared in 1973; the Wrocław hall was refurbished in 1980-1983 and again in 2018-2019 and remains one of the city's biggest produce markets (Wikipedia, Wrocław Market Hall).

What to look for

• The concrete arches - the exposed parabolic roof structure of 1908 above the stalls.
• The produce floor - seasonal fruit and vegetables, mushrooms in autumn, from small growers.
• The cheese and pickle stalls - smoked and fresh cheeses, barrelled cucumbers and sauerkraut.
• The upper gallery - the ring of smaller shops and food counters looking down on the hall.

When to go

Weekday mornings, when the stalls are fullest and the queues are short. Saturday is busy and traders begin packing up by early afternoon. The hall is closed on Sundays. Autumn is the best season here, with forest mushrooms, plums and apples from local growers filling the front stalls.

Good to know

It is a working market, not a tourist attraction, so the atmosphere is functional and the lighting is unflattering. There is little seating and only a handful of places to eat inside. Some stalls sell imported produce at ordinary supermarket quality. Cards are not accepted everywhere and small notes are useful. A visit here takes an hour at most.

Nearby

The cathedral island and the market square are within ten minutes on foot in either direction.

Key facts