Plac Nowy (New Square)

Plac Nowy (New Square) is the main gathering place of Kraków's historic Kazimierz district, a trapezoidal square from the 19th century built around the Okraglak, a round market hall from 1900. People come for the everyday market life by day and the food and bars by night, but the reason most visitors seek it out is the ring of windows in the central hall that sell zapiekanki, the toasted open-faced baguette that has become Kraków's signature street food.

At the centre of the square stands the Okraglak, a low circular building whose name simply means the round one. Each of its serving hatches is a separate stall, and most of them turn out zapiekanki: a halved baguette topped with mushrooms and melted cheese, then finished with whatever you choose, from ham and onion to garlic sauce and ketchup. You order at the window and eat standing up or perched on a nearby ledge, usually alongside a crowd doing exactly the same thing.

The Okraglak was built in 1900 as a market hall and from 1927 served as a kosher poultry slaughterhouse, serving the Jewish community that lived and traded across Kazimierz. That history is part of why Plac Nowy feels different from Kraków's grander squares: it grew as a working neighbourhood market rather than a showpiece. The round hall survived the district's decline and later revival, and its change of use, from slaughterhouse to street-food counters, traces the story of Kazimierz itself.

A general market runs across the square most mornings, and every Saturday a popular flea market takes over the space, with stalls of secondhand clothes, bric-a-brac and odd finds. In the evening the mood shifts as the bars and cafes lining the surrounding streets fill up, making Plac Nowy one of the busiest spots for a night out in the district. It suits travellers who want to eat cheaply, browse for a bargain and then stay on for a drink, all within a few steps.

Plac Nowy sits at the core of Kazimierz, so it pairs naturally with a wander around the district's old synagogues, backstreets and cafes. Many visitors use it as a lunch or late-night stop while exploring the area on foot from Kraków's Old Town, which is a short walk away. See our Kraków guide for how Kazimierz connects to the rest of the city.