Cloth Hall

The Cloth Halls were one of the most important institutions of the city – as this was where trade was concentrated. The first Cloth Halls consisted of two rows of stone shops, forming an alley in the center of the Market Square. The stone covered Cloth Halls were built in the 14th century – their traces in the form of pointed arch arcades on the sides can still be seen today. Trade in the Sukiennice was a significant source of income for the city – according to the royal decree, foreign cloth merchants could sell their goods only in this place.

Therefore, it is not surprising that when the building was damaged by fire in 1555, they energetically began its reconstruction. The best architects, artists, and craftsmen worked on the restoration, among them many Italians who had arrived in Poland following Queen Bona. The main hall was divided into two levels. The resulting second floor was intended for a second trading hall. A staircase with loggias, located on the shorter sides of the building, led to the trading hall.

At the time, Kraków was Poland's capital city and was among the largest cities in Europe. However, the city's decline began with the move of the capital to Warsaw at the end of the 16th century. Over time, without repairs and updates, the Sukiennice began to lose its luster. By the end of the 19th century, the half-ruined building, "clad" with wooden booths on the outside, no longer resembled the pearl of Renaissance architecture of Kraków.

The building we see today is the result of a major renovation: the booths were demolished, and a gallery of Polish painting was placed in the former second trading hall. But trade has not disappeared from here – the hall on the first floor is still filled with kiosks, which today instead of fabrics offer souvenirs for sale.

The Cloth Hall has hosted many distinguished guests over the centuries and is still used to entertain monarchs and dignitaries. For example, King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, and Emperor Akihito of Japan were welcomed here in 2002.

Due to its location and character, the first-floor halls of the Cloth Hall became the first headquarters of the National Museum in Krakow.

On October 7, 1879, the Krakow City Council established the first National Museum on Polish lands. The inaugural exhibition of the museum was opened on September 11, 1883, on the eve of the two-hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Vienna, in two halls on the first floor of the Cloth Hall on Bracka Street. From then on, this was the location of the permanent gallery of the National Museum.

The Sukiennice Museum division of the National Museum, Kraków is located on the upper floor of the hall. It boasts the largest collection of 19th-century Polish painting and sculpture, which is displayed in four grand exhibition halls arranged by historical period and theme, covering an entire artistic epoch.

The exhibition in the Sukiennice is presented in the following four halls:

• Bacciarelli Room: Enlightenment – showcasing art from the second half of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century,
• Michałowski Room: Romanticism. Towards national art – focusing on national themes in art,
• Siemiradzki Room: Around the academy – presenting issues important for academic teaching in the second half of the 19th century,
• Chełmoński Room: Realism, Polish Impressionism, beginnings of Symbolism – gathering works that herald the art of Young Poland, exhibited in the Main Building of the museum.

The museum underwent an upgrade in 2010, which included new technical equipment, storerooms, service spaces, and an improved thematic layout for the display.