Karolina's Kraków: The Markets

Jabłonowskich Palace at 20 Rynek Główny is the lovely building in the center of the photo where the Dollmaker's toyshop exists in my imagination. 

Today, the Jabłonowskich Palace is a home to currency exchange and a bank. The upper floors have apartments for shopkeepers and other people who live in Kraków. Before the German Occupation, there were five big markets in Kraków. The largest of all these was the one in the Main Square. There, local farmers and merchants sold everything from bread to vegetables to cloth. And they do to this day! At his stall, you can buy delicious Oscypek (smoked cheese) from the Tatra Mountains of Poland. Flowers have always been an important part of the markets. This picture was taken in the 1930s and would have been one of the many stalls the Dollmaker passed when he did his shopping. 

In Poland, girls traditionally wore flower crowns like these for important folk festivals and on their wedding days.

Speaking of festivals, here are young women doing a folk dance! You can watch their dancing here.

Artists have always sold their sketches and paintings at the markets. There are original works here and recreations of famous art, too. Karolina’s best loved painting, Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci, is a favorite subject of the artists.

Look! There are even toys. Some things never change...