While the city’s
nightlife
may not have the sizzle of Kraków, there are still plenty of
bars
,
cafes
and
restaurants
, where you’ll find it easy to meet friendly local folks who are proud of their city and eager to impress out-of-towners. The
perfect place for a romantic weekend or overnight escape from Kraków
, Tarnów offers
cheap accommodation
even in the most choice locations, enough culture and attractions to occupy a couple days, and most of all, a peaceful and friendly atmosphere away from the crowds. If this is your second or third trip to Kraków, it’s time to head over to Małopolska’s second city and discover what Tarnów has to offer.
1. The Quintessential Charming Old Town
Tarnów’s historical centre is one of the most well-preserved and picturesque in Poland, living up to every imagined ideal of the
quintessential European Old Town
. Laid out in the early 14th century, the medieval urban plan is characterised by narrow lanes leading up to the large open plaza of the
market square
(Rynek), with its
iconic Town Hall
at the centre. Remodelled in Renaissance style at the end of the 16th century, Tarnów’s Town Hall (today a
museum
) and the decorative
Renaissance merchant houses
surrounding the market square on all sides have earned the city the moniker ‘
Pearl of the Renaissance
.’ Today these buildings host various cultural venues, museums, restaurants and cafes, and in the spring/summer the Rynek comes to life with locals enjoying the numerous outside seating areas that give it a warm and welcoming appeal. With renovations completed in June 2020, Tarnów’s market square has never looked better.
Of course you can’t have a Polish market square without a
glorious cathedral
hovering over it and Tarnów also checks that box. The soaring Neo-Gothic red brick
Cathedral
is
one of the most impressive parish churches in Poland
, and inside you’ll find the outrageously elaborate tombs of local ‘royal’ families the Tarnowskis and Ostrogskis, as well as a number of extraordinary paintings. You’ll also no doubt note the
monument of Pope John Paul II
outside the entrance, but don’t miss the wonderfully ornate doors depicting scenes from the life of Mary on the south side of the church. If you love religious art, you’ll find more exemplary examples inside
Tarnów’s Diocesan Museum
right next door.
Perhaps the best aspect of Tarnów’s Old Town is how compact and
highly walkable
it is. Indeed, this is the main allure of Tarnów - the joy of simply ambling about, taking in the richness of your surroundings. As you do so you’ll be constantly surprised by the truly astonishing number of
monuments and sculptures
. Hopefully stairs aren’t an issue because Tarnów is full of them. The market square actually sits above the Old Town’s lower loop, between which the city’s medieval defensive walls and towers once stood; keep your eyes peeled for
original fragments of these ancient walls
between ul. Kapitulna and ul. Wałowa, and make sure you find
ul. Basztowa
, which features a former bastion and some groovy street art.
2. Rich Jewish & Romani Heritage
For centuries Tarnów was a multicultural centre where Polish,
Hungarian
,
Jewish
and Romani cultural traditions peacefully coexisted and even overlapped. Dating back to the 15th century, Jews made up an increasingly large part of the city’s intellectual and cultural elite for the 500 years leading up to World War II. At the outbreak of the war there were some
25,000 Jews living in Tarnów
- accounting for
45% of the city’s total population
. Over the next four years of Nazi occupation, however, they would be mercilessly persecuted, imprisoned and ultimately exterminated, primarily in the death camps of Bełżec and
Auschwitz
.
Detail from Tarnów's former mikvah.
Although almost no Jewish community has survived in Tarnów today, traces of the city’s
Jewish heritage
are still on prominent display. One of the city’s most conspicuous monuments is the charred remains of the
bimah
(the raised podium from which the Torah was read) from the 17th century synagogue which once stood just northeast of
Tarnów’s market square
