Market Square in Kutno

Market Square in Kutno, officially Marszałek Józefa Piłsudskiego Square, is the main square of the city and the heart of Śródmieście [city centre]. The most important monuments of Kutno stand around it, and its history dates back to before it was renamed to its current name.

Changing names of the square

The square has borne the name of Marszałek Józefa Piłsudskiego since 1933. Previously, before the war, it was called Nowy Rynek [New Market Square]. During the German occupation, the name was changed to Adolf Hitler-Platz, and in the Polish People's Republic period the square functioned as 19 Stycznia Square, commemorating the entry of the Red Army into Kutno. The current name was restored after the change of political system.

Town Hall at the square

A Classicist town hall, built in 1845, stands at the square. The building is entered in the register and record of monuments as part of the urban and architectural complex of Piłsudskiego Square.

Since 1971, the Regional Museum, also known as Pałac Saski Museum, has had its seat here, located in one of the square's frontages.

Part of Kutno's old town

Piłsudskiego Square, together with Królewska Street, Wolności Square and Rynek Zduński, forms the historic layout of Kutno's old town. In 2001, Królewska Street and the square itself were revitalised, with the surface and surroundings of the historic buildings put in order.

Nowy Rynek in the interwar period

Before the war, the square, then called Nowy Rynek, was slightly inclined towards Zamenhofa Street and paved with stone cobbles, like other streets in Kutno at that time. State ceremonies, military parades and processions of organisations were held here on national holidays, and around the square there were kiosks selling newspapers, cigarettes and drinks. In 1936, a petrol station was installed on the square, which residents protested against because a municipal well was located in the vicinity.

Monuments and memorials in the vicinity

A monument to Marszałek Józefa Piłsudskiego, the square's patron, stands on the square.

In summer, a fountain in the shape of a rose also operates here, referring to the city's brand as the City of Roses.

At the square, at 29 Listopada 2, stands a Classicist Dom Naczelnika Miasta [Town Chief's House], the former seat of Kutno's town chief.

Practical information

• Address: plac Piłsudskiego, Śródmieście, Kutno
• Getting there: city centre, convenient access on foot from surrounding old town streets
• What to expect: representative municipal square with town hall, museum, monument and fountain, surrounded by buildings of the historic centre