Stary Rynek: Europe’s Most Whimsical and Visually Striking Main Square

Stary Rynek: Europe’s Most Whimsical and Visually Striking Main Square
Stary Rynek (The Culture Map)
9/10/2014
Updated:
9/10/2014

The main square of any city is usually considered the heart of the city too. Close by you are guaranteed to find an array of museums, grand architecture, street performers and a mixture of bars and restaurants. However, as a general rule, dining at restaurants in most main squares can come with a price tag that would make any food taste sour, no matter how plumped up with sugar and spice it is. You only need to look at the cost of afternoon tea in St. Mark’s Square in Venice and it’s enough to make your blood curdle. But eating in Stary Rynek, Poznan’s main square in the Old Town is a surprising exception to this rule.


Stary Rynek, Poznan (The Culture Map)

Eating at Stary Rynek was a default option; actually it was the only choice I had after losing track of time and finding my stomach crying out to be fed at 11pm. I was annoyed with myself at the thought of parting with money in such a wasteful way, but with emptiness in my stomach getting heavier by the second there was no way I could go to sleep without eating. Bringing a little remedy to the matter, I decided I would spend less the following day to balance out my finances.

Walking up to the restaurant to look at the menu, I closed my eyes and opened them slowly as though preparing myself for the worse (I also do this when I’m opening my monthly bank statement), but to my surprise I found many dishes on the menu very affordable. And I mean affordable for the average person on a budget. This is because Poland is one of Europe’s most pocket-friendly countries, and it doesn’t compromise on quality either, the standard of food that you'll find in a typical restaurant ranges from good to very impressive – you get more than what you pay for, which can’t always be said for big cities like London, Paris and Rome. I ordered a delicious seafood soup for about 25zl (£5) and a main course of baked duck with red-wine stewed cabbage and puff dumplings for approximately 40zl (£8).


Old Town Hall, Poznan (The Culture Map)

The most spectacular aspect of Poznan’s main square is, of course, its strikingly colourful buildings which any photograph brings alive. It’s one of those places that transports you somewhere magical, reviving childhood wonder; this is no ordinary urbanised city centre, but a place imaginable inside a Walt Disney film.

Its vintage and whimsical appearance juxtaposes with its modern day reality, because over 60 per cent of it was destroyed during World War II and was rebuilt to picture-perfect style in the 1950s. So even though the majority of the main square is less than 60 years old its original birth dates back to 1253.

No two buildings are completed with the same design or painted in the same colour, so strolling around and whittling away the hours by admiring each one from the next is a pleasurable way to spend time. Whether it’s a mural or elaborate portico over a doorway there is something to enjoy. The Mannerist style façade of the Old Town Hall which is also home to the Historical Museum of Poznan should not be missed, as well as the Merchant houses which are as charming as they are colourful and fanciful. Others places surrounding the square which should not be missed are the National Museum with an impressive art collection, and the Parish Church of Poznan, the Archaeological Museum is worth a visit too.

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Copyright © 2014 by The Culture Map. This article was written by Shing Lin Yoong and originally published at The Culture Map

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