Nowy Targ Square in Wrocław

Nowy Targ Square lies in Wrocław's Old Town and, together with the Market Square and Solny Square, forms a trio of historic market squares in the city centre. The Germans called it Neumarkt, and today it is a green, open square surrounded by post-war residential buildings, close to several other Old Town monuments and museums.

A market square from centuries ago

The settlement from which today's square grew already had its own charter and rights in 1214. From the 13th century Duke Henry I brought in German settlers, who formed a separate commune governed by its own charter. Medieval trade streets linking different parts of the city ran through the square, and for many centuries the square itself served as a marketplace. Trade was only moved from here in 1909, to the nearby Market Hall.

Wartime destruction and new buildings

The Second World War swept away almost all of the square's historic buildings. Only two structures survived: the administrative building, which today houses a branch of the City Office, and a tenement house on the corner of Jodłowa Street. After the war, architects Ryszard Natusiewicz, Włodzimierz Czerechowski and Anna and Jerzy Tarnawski designed modernist residential buildings around the square, which still stand here today.

The fountain that disappeared and returned

A fountain known as Gabeljürgen once stood on the square. It went missing after 1945, and for decades nobody knew what had happened to it. In the autumn of 2022 the original sculpture was found in Wielowieś near Syców, several dozen kilometres from Wrocław.

The square today

In 2013 an underground car park was built beneath the square. In July 2024 a redevelopment was completed, in which concrete was replaced with greenery: more than 170 trees and ornamental plants were planted. A fountain is still planned.

One of the Old Town's three squares

Together with the Market Square and Solny Square, Nowy Targ forms a trio of historic market squares in Wrocław's Old Town. Unlike the representative Market Square, Nowy Targ served a more functional, trading role for years, and today, after the 2024 redevelopment, it is above all a green residential square and a place for local residents to walk.

Practical information

• The square lies in Wrocław's Old Town, next to Bishop Nankier Square and Dominican Square.
• Nearby, within a few hundred metres, are among others the Hatzfeld Palace, the Museum of Architecture and the Awangarda Art Gallery.
• It is an open, green city square, accessible without restriction all year round.