Kleparz – a neighbourhood in Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

 situated to the north of the Old Town. It was a separate town between 1366 and 1792. It is now part of the Stare Miasto administrative district.

History

The first known settlement at the present Kleparz territory was founded before 1184. In this year the Church of St. Florian was erected by the Kraków Bishop Gedko. The settlement grew very fast in number and size, so it soon was known as the Alta civitas and had about one thousand inhabitants as well as 2380 horses. Casimir the Great granted it the location rights in 1366 and named it Florencja, after the St. Florian Church . The houses were built of timber around the market square and its citizens were mainly craftsmen, mostly smiths and tailors. In the next century the new name Kleparz (Latin Clepardia) replaced the previous one. It was burned down several times during wars or by great fires in 1476, 1528, 1655, 1657, 1755 and 1768. In 1792 it was incorporated into the city of Kraków by the decision of the Great Sejm. In the 19th century Kleparz was rebuilt with new residential mansions in historical and art nouveau style.

Sights

The most interesting sights in Kleparz are around the Jan Matejko Square and the Market Square. The first is surrounded by the School of Fine Arts, the St. Florian Church and the Grunwald Monument.