The Przybyła houses
The brothers Mikołaj and Krzysztof Przybyła were wealthy grain merchants in early 17th-century Kazimierz. In 1615 they built two neighbouring houses on the market square — today among the most famous examples of the Polish burgher Renaissance. The architect is unknown, but many scholars link them to the workshop of Italian masters (Lublin was then a centre of the Italian Renaissance school — Santi Gucci and his circle).
What makes them exceptional are their monumental parapets — decorative walls above the façade, ornamented with biblical and mythological scenes. Mikołaj's house shows St Nicholas (the owner's patron) and scenes from his life. Krzysztof's shows St Christopher with the Christ Child. The reliefs are exceptionally rich for a Polish merchant town — they show that Renaissance Kazimierz aspired to the level of Kraków or Lublin.
Around the square — what else
- The Celej House (on ul. Senatorska just off the square) — the loveliest house in Kazimierz, about 1635, with a parapet bearing 12 figures of saints and allegories
- The parish church of St John the Baptist — Gothic of the 14th century, rebuilt in Renaissance style in the 16th and 17th, with an organ of 1620 (one of the oldest in Poland)
- The wooden well in the middle of the square — 17th-century and roofed, one of the emblems of Kazimierz
- The town hall — 19th-century (the original Renaissance one burned down), today the seat of the town authorities
- The monument to the dog Werny — the town's canine symbol and a popular place for photographs
- The Kuncewicz House by the square — the villa of the writer Maria Kuncewiczowa, today a biographical museum
Worth knowing about the Kazimierz Renaissance
The 17th-century Renaissance of Kazimierz is unique in Poland — there is no such concentration of Renaissance burgher architecture outside Kraków. It is explained by the wealth of the grain trade and by the presence of Italian stonemasons brought to Lublin (where the Chapel of the Three Kings, the collegiate church and the market-square houses were then being built). The burghers of Kazimierz commissioned work from the same workshops.
The granaries on the Vistula (on ul. Krakowska and along the river) are the second kind of historic building here. Renaissance grain stores of the 16th and 17th centuries, today partly restored (some are museums, hotels or restaurants). It was from these that grain was floated down the Vistula to Gdańsk.
In practice
- Access to the square — free and open 24/7
- Restaurants — a dozen or so around the square, at visitor prices (about 30–60 zł for a main course)
- The best time for photographs — early morning (before 8:00) or evening (with the lamps lit). At midday the light is flat
- The Festival of Folk Bands and Singers — the end of June, with the square full of bands from all over Poland
- The Two Riverbanks Film Festival — early August, with open-air screenings around the square
- Public toilets — by the tourist information office
How to get there and practical info
- Admission
- Free
- Best photographs
- Early morning or evening
- Restaurants
- A dozen or so around the square, about 30–60 zł
- Film festival
- August (Two Riverbanks)
- Folk festival
- The end of June
- Parking
- Charged by the square, full in season
When to go
May — trees in flower around the square and warm light in the evening.
Crowds, festivals and open-air concerts. A carnival atmosphere.
September and October — golden leaves, mist and romantic photographs.
Empty, with the wooden well under snow — a magical sight and few visitors.
Other sights in Kazimierz Dolny
Straight-line distances from „The market square and the Przybyła houses" — calculated from real coordinates. By road it is often further.
Where to stay nearby
Places from our list that have The market square and the Przybyła houses within walking distance or a short drive.
