The oldest marketplace in the city
Stary Kleparz (Old Kleparz) is the oldest marketplace in Krakow and one that’s the closest to Main Square.
In the beginning, there was a small village. In the 14th century, it became a city named Florencya thanks to the name of Saint Florian – a local church’s patron. As the years passed, the new name Clepardia came to stand. Almost 700 years ago, Old Kleparz was a separate, fully-fledged city, until it was incorporated into Krakow in 1791. Local and visiting merchants traded food, cattle, grains, fabrics, and leather.
What you can buy and taste now?
Old Kleparz has been operating continuously since the Middle Ages, even during communism, when people could search for items commonly unavailable in the regular stores.
It plays an important part in the weekly shopping and social routines of many locals.
Today Old Kleparz is a place where locals living nearby do the shopping to buy fresh and healthy products from farmers. Besides traditional Polish food, merchants also sell goods characteristic of the Mediterranean and Middle East cuisine there.
Locals love this place so much, they’ve created special bags for “kleparzing” – a local neologism describing the activity of doing shopping on Kleparz.
Tips
- Do the shopping before 10 o’clock to have the biggest choice of fresh products.
- Take cash – many shops already use the card terminals, but cash is still king.
- Try Aperol with Italian snacks at Baqaro – it’s a must-have!
