Attraction in Zamość

Salt Market (Rynek Solny)

Rynek Solny is one of Zamość's two smaller market squares, named for the salt trade that once passed through it and marked today by a large ship's anchor.

Reviewed and updated July 2026

Salt Market (Rynek Solny) — Photo: Andrzej Otrębski / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rynek Solny (the Salt Market) is one of Zamość's two auxiliary market squares, sitting north of the main Rynek Wielki, and it draws visitors for its quieter character, its arcaded townhouses and the outsized ship's anchor planted in the middle of it. The name records the salt trade that once ran through here, with salt brought from Wieliczka near Kraków and from Drohobycz in Ruthenia. It makes a short, easy detour while walking the grid of the Old Town.

The anchor and the arcades

The object most people come to see is the ship's anchor standing on the square, roughly 3 metres high and weighing around 7 tonnes, a gift to Zamość from the Polish Steamship Company (Polska Żegluga Morska). It is an unusual sight this far inland and makes an obvious meeting point. Around it the square is bounded on the east by arcaded townhouses in the same style that runs through the Old Town, giving you covered walkways to duck under if the weather turns.

Why it is called the Salt Market

Rynek Solny takes its name directly from the commodity traded here. Salt reached the square from two main directions, from the royal mines at Wieliczka to the west and from Drohobycz in Ruthenia to the east, reflecting Zamość's position on trade routes between regions. The square is roughly rectangular and about 50 metres across, one of two smaller markets that flank the central Rynek Wielki within the planned Renaissance town.

The Zamoyski Academy on the west side

The whole west side of the square is taken up by the former Zamoyski Academy building, the historic school founded by the town's creator Jan Zamoyski. Its presence gives Rynek Solny a different feel from a purely commercial square, and it ties the space into the wider story of Zamość as a town designed around learning as well as trade. Reading the two sides together, the Academy to the west and the merchant arcades to the east, tells you a lot about how the town was meant to work.

Fitting it into a day in Zamość

Because it lies just north of Rynek Wielki, Rynek Solny is a natural few-minutes' walk from the main square rather than a separate trip. Most visitors take it in as part of a loop through the Old Town, pausing at the anchor before carrying on to the cathedral, the town hall or the fortifications. For how it links up with the rest of the sights, see the Zamość guide.

Good to know

The square is open public space with no entry ticket, and the anchor makes an easy landmark to arrange to meet at while exploring the Old Town on foot.

Frequently asked questions

The anchor was donated to the city by the Polish Steamship Company (Polska Żegluga Morska). It stands about 3 metres high and weighs some 7 tonnes, and it has become the square's most recognisable feature despite Zamość being far from the sea.

It sits just north of Rynek Wielki, the main market square, so it is only a short walk through the Old Town grid and easy to combine with the central sights.

The name comes from the salt trade that historically passed through the square, with salt brought here from Wieliczka and from Drohobycz in Ruthenia.

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