Worth to see

(250 m from the Mikolaj hotel)

The Main Market is the largest square in Kraków and at the same time the largest market in medieval Europe. Krakow was located according to Magdeburg law from 5 June 1257 and it was Boleslaw Wstydliwy who took up the challenge. The market has been set up by previous mayors Gedko Stilvoyt, Jakub from Nysa and Dytmar from Wroclaw as a square with slightly more than 200 meters long sides with distortions arising from the need to adapt to the residue of settlements (St Mary's church and church of St. Wojciech). It was designed for locals and pilgrims who followed the merchant routes to have enough space to be able to sell their goods here. Cloth Halls located in the center of the market remind of numerous merchants' stalls that once stood here.

(350 m from the Mikolaj hotel)

The most valuable monument in St. Mary's church is the main altar, the greatest and best preserved old architecture sculpture work in this part of Europe. When in the first half of the fifteenth century, the arch of presbytery collapsed, the altar was destroyed. City councilors decided to order a new one from Nuremberg sculptor, Veit Stoss. The artist moved in to Krakow and he received generous remuneration for his work worth at least equivalent of annual town budget. The altar was created between 1477 -1489. In eighteen large bas-reliefs placed on altar's moving wings, the artist retrieved key episodes from Mary and Christ's life. In a central, stationary pentaptych you can admire realistically illustrated scene of God's Mother falling asleep among twelve apostles, above, there is the Assumption scene, and the copestone presents Holy Mary's coronation by the Trinity assisted by Poland's patrons, St. Wojciech and St. Stanislaw. Stoss' design is 11 m wide and 13 m high made of oak wood which in his times was approximately 500 years old (so currently around 1000 years old).

(450 m from the Mikolaj hotel)

The Theater was built between 1891-1893 where there used to be a Holy Ghost Church which was demolished in 1892. The building is maintained in eclectic style with dominating neo-Baroque elements. It was the first building in Krakow which had electric lighting. Initially, it was known as the "City Theater", only in 1909 it was named Juliusz Slowacki Theater. Large eclectic staircase leads to a foyer on the first floor. The stucco decorations were made by Alfred Putz. In the theater, there is Stanislaw Wyspianski's bust and monument project authored by Bronislaw Chromy, Karol Kruzer's bust and Jan Zawiejski's commemorating tablet. There are also busts of Polish theater artists: Aleksander Fredro, Jan Nepomucen Kaminski and Wojciech Boguslawski.