Wielopolski Palace
Kraków Monuments
Formerly the palace of Hetman Jan Tarnowski, later of the Ostrogski and Zamoyski families, then of the Wielopolski family, and since 1864 the building of the Kraków Magistrate. Today it is home to the Mayor of Kraków, the City Office and the City Council, and its address is All Saints' Square 3-4. The palace was built in 1535-1560 for Jan Tarnowski. In the first half of the 19th century theatre performances were staged here (in 1831) and Piotr Michałowski had his painting studio here; after the great fire of the city in July 1850 the burned palace was sold, and in 1854 it was bought at auction by the surgeon Wojciech Kowalski.
History
The palace on All Saints' Square was built from 1535 to 1560 on the orders of the Grand Crown Hetman Jan Tarnowski. After his death the property passed to the Ostrogski family and then to the Zamoyski family. A rebuilding in 1620-1640 gave it a Baroque entrance hall and a Baroque portal on the west side, which have survived to this day. In 1655 the Swedes set up a position here for cannons firing at Wawel, and the building was partly damaged as a result. From the mid-17th to the mid-19th century it belonged to the Wielopolski family.
In the first half of the 19th century the owners made some of the rooms available for various purposes. In 1831 theatre performances were held here, and Piotr Michałowski had a painting studio here. After the great fire of Kraków in July 1850 the palace burned down and the Wielopolskis decided to sell it. In 1854 it was bought at auction by the surgeon Wojciech Kowalski, who restored the building and leased it to the Viennese Ferdinand Winter for a café. The palace hosted balls, musical evenings and lectures, and the elegant café was one of the first in the city. The photographic studio of Ignacy Mażek and Napoleon Gross also operated here.
In 1864 the palace was bought by the Municipality of Kraków and designated as the seat of the city council. It was rebuilt to a design by Paweł Barański in 1865-1868. At that time the grand City Council Chamber was created on the second floor, and the upper parts of its walls were decorated with carved busts of Polish kings. A gallery of portraits of the city's mayors also began to take shape then. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, in 1906-1913, the building was extended under the direction of Jan Zawiejski, which required demolitions on Poselska Street and sparked protests. In 1926 a fire destroyed the Council Chamber, and its present decoration dates from the rebuilding in 1927-1928.
It still serves as the city hall: the Mayor of Kraków, the City Office and the City Council work here. Among its rooms is the Portrait Hall with 25 paintings of Polish kings from the legendary Krak to Frederick Augustus, rescued from the demolished Town Hall. The monumental entrance portal is decorated with sculptures symbolising Work and Dignity, and the entrance hall holds figures by Edward Stehlik.
Did you know?
In 1937 a plaque honouring Marshal Józef Piłsudski was set into the wall in the courtyard. In 2015 a plaque dedicated to John Paul II, the first recipient of the "Cracoviae merenti" medal, was unveiled in the stone hall.