Market Square in Sieradz

Market Square in Sieradz is the main square of the Old Town, laid out with the city's charter in 1255. For centuries it has served as the commercial and social centre, and today it is surrounded by nineteenth-century townhouses.

From city charter to today's square

Sieradz received city rights in 1255, and the Market Square immediately became the centre of trade and public life in the city. Previously, in this area there was an old market square called Tartakiem, which preceded the current urban layout of the Old Town.

Sieradz is one of the oldest towns in this part of Poland, so the Market Square is already over seven and a half centuries old, although its appearance changed many times through successive rebuilds and fires.

Town Hall, which burned twice

From the fifteenth century until 1693, the town hall stood on the Market Square. After a fire in 1693 the building was rebuilt, but it burned again in 1794, during the fights of Sieradz residents with the Prussians during the Kościuszko Uprising.

Since then the Market Square has not regained its town hall in its former shape, and the square today serves a representative and commercial function without central buildings in the middle. Two fires within a hundred years show how turbulent the history of this place could be, despite the quiet appearance of today's square.

Development and furnishings of the square

The townhouses surrounding today's Market Square date mainly from the nineteenth century and have retained their original, historic architectural character. The square also features an iron pump incorporated into a set of coloured fountains that enliven the market space.

Such a layout, a square surrounded by a row of townhouses with a fountain and pump in the middle, is typical of former chartered towns in this part of the country, and in Sieradz it has survived to this day in an almost undisturbed form.

Monument to Antoine and the surrounding area

Since 2015, there has been a monument to Antoni Cierplikowski on the Market Square, a famous hairdresser born in Sieradz, known in the world as Antoine de Paris.

A few minutes' walk from the Market Square is the cinema in Sieradz, so both places can easily be combined into one walk around the centre.

Practical information

• Address: Rynek, Sieradz
• Getting there: city centre, pedestrian access from main streets, parking nearby
• What to expect: a historic square with townhouses, fountain and monument, accessible round the clock