Sukiennice (Cloth Hall, Drapers’ Hall) is one of the Krakow’s most recognizable icons. Located in the very centre of Krakow’s Market Square once upon a time served as a centre of international trade, nowadays a surrounded with caffes and galleries tourists attraction and… a centre of souvenir shopping.

Sukiennice was Krakow’s first market place for most of what was interesting for merchant to import and sell since the beginning of 15th century. Spices, silk, leather and wax, everything except for salt which was taken from locally founded Salt Mine in Wieliczka. As the city’s position on economical map of Europe has declined in 17th century, Cloth Hall went downhill along with it.

Other, very similar cloth halls have existed in other Polish as well as other European cities. To mention couple of them - Ypres, Belgium; Braunschweig, Germany; and in Leeds, England.