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The Rynek Glowny was the largest square of medieval Europe - a huge expanse of flagstones, ringed by magnificent houses and towering spires. Long the marketplace and commercial hub of the city, it's an immediate introduction to Krakow's grandeur and stateliness. By day the square hums with crowds and commercial bustle, its size being such that no matter how much is going on, you're never left feeling cramped for space. While appreciation of the architectural ensemble can become obscured by the crowds, venture into the square late at night and you can immerse yourself in its subtler, historic resonances. Architecturally the square is pretty much unchanged since its fin-de-siecle heyday, boasting as fine a collection of period buildings as any in central Europe and beyond. This, combined with echoes of the events played out here, such as Kosciuszko's impassioned rallying call to the defence of national independence in 1794, provides an endlessly renewable source of interest and inspiration. Once hooked, you'll find yourself constantly gravitating back towards the place. By night or by day, too, it's also worth exploring the stately network of passageways and recently restored Italianate courtyards leading off from the front of the square, many of them enlivened by cafes and restaurants that have colonized the area since the advent of the market economy. The square is more open today than it used to be. Until the last century, much of it was occupied by market stalls, a tradition maintained by the flower sellers and ice-cream vendors, and by the stalls in the Sukiennice , the medieval cloth hall at the heart of the square dividing it into west and east sections, the latter dominated by the Kosciol Mariacki (St Mary's Church).
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