Town Hall Tower
Room decoration
The room on the first floor of the Town Hall Tower has a plan similar to a Greek cross with protruding annexes. The hall is covered with a cross-ribbed vault with sculptural decoration on the central room's pillars and capitals. Architectural details include the use of floral elements and representations of fighting animals. The sources of these motifs can be found in the sculptural decoration of Prague Cathedral (14th-14th/15th century). The architecture of the room suggests that the stonemasons employed to decorate the room may have gained experience working for the Habsburg court in the 14th and 15th century.The bay windows and the sculptural decoration give the room a representative character. It is presumed that it may have served as a council chapel (or at least that one was planned here). Council chapels were often found in town halls (in the Prague Town Hall it is located on the first floor). They were used to hold masses before council meetings, as well as ceremonies to swear in the mayor and councillors. By the walls in the room on the first floor of Kraków's town hall there are stone benches, which prove that meetings were held here, perhaps even religious services.
Stonework house marks
In the south-east corner of the hall on the ground floor there is a unique set of stonework house marks, twenty of which have survived to the present day. Most of them are placed on coats of arms, some of them are not. House marks are signatures left by master masons who worked on the construction site, as well as by apprentice masons. While the former placed their marks on coats of arms, the marks left by apprentices were forged without these. Among the marks we can also see two dates: [trzeba je przerysować]. 1444 and 1472. The first of these dates may refer to the date of completion of the construction works. In the case of the second, it is not known under what circumstances it was carved. The meaning of the house marks, legible to their contemporaries, is incomprehensible to us today. The marks were discovered during renovation work carried out in the 1960s.
Contemporary copies of impressions of the seals of Kraków councillors
Great Kraków councillors’ seal from the beginning of the 14th century. Smaller Kraków councillors’ seal from the beginning of the 14th century. The documents produced in the Kraków Chancellery bore seals. These were at the discretion of the Town Council. The Chancellery used several types of seals. The Great Councillors’ Seal was used infrequently, primarily to seal the most important documents of state rank, such as peace treaties. The smaller seal was used much more commonly, to authenticate, among others, trade regulations issued by the council and other less important documents. The great councillors’ seal depicts a gate with a fragment of the walls. On the sides there are figures of Saints Wenceslas and Stanislaus. Above the central tower there is an eagle, and next to the saints there are coats of arms of the Kuyavian princes. The gate shows a figure in a kneeling position. The rim bears the inscription SIGILLUM CONSULUM ET COMMUNITATIS CIVITATIS CRACOVIAE. The smaller councillors’ seal bears the inscription in the rim: SIGILLUM MINUS CIVITATIS CRACOVIE. It features a depiction of St. Wenceslaus as a knight with a shield. The saint holds a spear in his right hand and has a sword attached to his belt. On either side of it are depictions of an eagle and a crown and the inscription S. WENCESLAUS
Contemporary copy of the Kraków Mayor's sceptre
The silver and gilded sceptre was the insignia of every Mayor of Kraków. Its shape refers to the royal and rector's sceptres. On the head of the sceptre are engraved the IHS and the Latin inscription: IUSTE IUDUCATE F[ILII] H[OMINUM], taken from Psalm 57 (58),2: "Judge uprightly you sons of men". In collections of Magdeburg laws, as well as in Polish translations and commentaries, this quotation was used to warn those in power against partiality. The placement of the sentence on the sceptre makes it a symbol of power exercised under Magdeburg law. The sceptre was ceremonially handed over to each new mayor. It lay on the table in front of the mayor during debates, and he held it in his hand while announcing important decisions and official speeches.
A model of the Kraków Town Hall in its Gothic phase, as it was around 1524.
scientific work: Dr Waldemar Komorowski implementation: Studio Projektowe Modele Architektoniczne Gottwald, Kraków 2006
Contemporary copy of the Kraków Mayor's ring
A ring was given to each mayor as an insignia of power along with the sceptre. The gold ring is engraved with the year it was made - 1532. We know from the Town Council's expenditure records that the worn ring eye was replaced in 1590. The ring of mayors was at the same time a seal ring, so a hard sapphire was used for its eye. It depicts the town's coat of arms: a fragment of the town walls with three towers and an open gate with a miniature eagle. This is one of the earlier representations of the Kraków coat of arms with the eagle in the gate, officially recognised as part of the Kraków coat of arms in 1661. The same coat of arms can also be found on the door from the Lord's Chamber.
Contemporary copy of the Kraków Mayor's sceptre
The silver and gilded sceptre was the insignia of every Mayor of Kraków. Its shape refers to the royal and rector's sceptres. On the head of the sceptre are engraved the IHS and the Latin inscription: IUSTE IUDUCATE F[ILII] H[OMINUM], taken from Psalm 57 (58),2: "Judge uprightly you sons of men". In collections of Magdeburg laws, as well as in Polish translations and commentaries, this quotation was used to warn those in power against partiality. The placement of the sentence on the sceptre makes it a symbol of power exercised under Magdeburg law. The sceptre was ceremonially handed over to each new mayor. It lay on the table in front of the mayor during debates, and he held it in his hand while announcing important decisions and official speeches.
Town council chest
The Town Council chest (called “lada” from German laden - to load) was made of wood, covered with silver sheets and lined with red velvet. Writing utensils, the mayors' ring, and probably important documents and valuables were stored there. The lid of the chest is topped with an image of Minerva wearing armour and a helmet. The goddess holds a sceptre in one hand and a shield in the other, on which the city's coat of arms is depicted. Her figure is an allegory of wise and just governance, leading to prosperity in the city. On the back of the shield with the coat of arms there is the inscription: SUMPTO/ MAGISTRAT'/ CRACOV'/ ANNO/ JUBILÆI MAGNI/ 1751, with information on the Jubilee Year celebrated in Kraków in 1751. The Holy Year, as a year of special graces, was instituted by the Pope. The condition for obtaining the indulgence was prayer in the designated churches of Rome. For those who could not get there, the popes announced jubilees for other cities, which was a great honour for them. The Jubilee Year celebrated in Kraków attracted many pilgrims. Kraków's councillors were involved in preparing the celebrations and they commissioned the silver chest to commemorate the occasion.
Sword, early 17th century
Contemporary copy of an imprint of the Kraków magistrate seal from the early 14th century.
The town hall magistrate council had its own seal. It bears the figure of St. Stanislaus in pontifical attire placed on the background of fragments of the city walls. On either side of the saint there are symbols of a crown and an eagle. In the rim is the inscription: SIGILLUM SCABINORUM CRACOVIE CIVITATIS. The magistrate seal was used more frequently than the council seal. It can be found primarily on court documents.
Reconstruction of the gate and door from the Lord's Chamber in the former Kraków Town Hall
Portrait of Krzysztof Naymanowic (ca. 1590-1651), councillor between 1620-1645, author unknown, 1730s. Jagiellonian University Museum
Krzysztof Naymanowic was a physician, professor and rector of the University of Kraków. He was educated not only in Kraków, but also at Italian universities. As a councillor he also held, among others, the office of treasurer.
Portrait of Jan Innocenty Petrycy (ca. 1592-1641), councillor between 1640-1641, author unknown, 1627-1634, Jagiellonian University Museum
Jan Innocenty Petrycy was a doctor of medicine and law, a historian, a professor at Kraków University and a practising physician. As a university historiographer, he described the most important events taking place within the walls of the Kraków university.
Reconstruction of the attires of the municipal guard service
Order and safety in Kraków was protected day and night by the municipal guard service. It was headed by a town hall official, the so-called deputy. He was appointed by the town council, before which the official took an oath. The function of the town hall deputy, although not life-long, was extremely important, especially as the said official was not only responsible for organising night patrols, but took over the duties of the mayor after dark. Together with two councillors, he ensured that the officially recognised systems weights and measures were used correctly. The town mayor as the administrator of the town hall was also in charge of the town hall service, which included the doorkeepers of the Lord's Chamber, the town hall bell-ringer and the gunmen, who acted as bodyguards for the mayor. The deputy was also in charge of the so-called deputy courts - people engaging in street fights and quarrels etc. were brought before him. This official was required to stay in the town hall at all times. Unlike the others, he lived in it, in a specially prepared room on the first floor of the town hall.
Society in medieval and modern Kraków was divided into three layers: patricians, commoners and plebs. The richest and relatively small group was the patricians - the wealthiest citizens, usually merchants, bankers or businessmen, holding power in the city. The most diversified group in terms of property was the commoners. It included all residents of the town, especially craftsmen. The richest of them aspired to be in the ruling class. The plebs, i.e. the poorest inhabitants of the city, deprived of municipal residency, were also a numerous social group in Kraków. Only persons registered under municipal law could be full residents of the municipality. It was up to the Town Council to decide whether a particular person was to be admitted as a resident of Kraków. To become a citizen of Kraków, one had to prove the right origin, which had to be additionally confirmed by witnesses. A new resident of Kraków was obliged to buy real estate in the city, bring a wife or, in case of unmarried people, start a family, which prevented the practice of having dual citizenship. Among the citizens of Kraków we find people of various origins. Apart from the Polish population, the German population was quite numerous. The fact that originally the town books were kept in German is testament to its size and importance. In the 16th century, Italians began to arrive in Kraków in growing numbers. Hungarians, Walloons, Flemings and Scots are also to be mentioned among the townsfolk of foreign origin. With time, foreigners became Polonised, which was evidenced by the change of their surnames to Polish-sounding ones. The townspeople of Kraków were a colourful community. The costume expressed the social status of the wearer. The clothes of the poorest residents were made mainly of linen and woollen fabrics. The wealthy bourgeoisie were keen on silk fabrics, which were imported from the East or Italy. The outfit was completed with appropriate headwear, gloves and jewellery. The richest townsmen wore sumptuous clothes, which caused the successive kings and the Town Council to prohibit the wearing of particularly sumptuous items of clothing or clothes made of expensive fabrics on the basis of so-called Anti-Luxury Laws. Regular reminders of the bans showed that breaching them was an everyday occurrence, despite the threat of confiscation of such lavish clothing by the municipal guards patrolling the city.
Reconstruction of the attire of a wealthy middle-class woman from Kraków in the 2nd half of the 15th century
Based on iconographic and written sources: outer dress, bottom dress, shirt, headdress - made of natural fabrics or imitating patterned medieval fabrics. Reconstruction: Dr Maria Molenda.
Swordsmen's workshop, illustration from the Baltazar Behem Codex, Kraków, 1505.
The first source information about craft guilds in Kraków comes from the second half of the 14th century, but it can be assumed that guilds already existed earlier. In the 15th century, membership of a guild was a prerequisite for legal craft activity in the city. There were already about 40 guilds in Kraków at that time, bringing together craftsmen from 60 specialisations. Only a master with municipal residency rights could belong to the guild and run a workshop. The statutes of the guilds, approved by the Town Council, contained rules for training and work in the workshop, as well as guidelines for the moral conduct of guild members. Successive rulers granted privileges to the guilds guaranteeing exclusive production and sale of products within the town. In the 15th century, a group of hinderers (also called bunglers) appeared in the city, i.e. illegally operating craftsmen who, for various reasons (poor origin, poverty, lack of municipal residency rights), could not receive official professional training or join the guild.
Portrait of Katarzyna Przybyło, M. Schilling (?), Kraków, 1534, MHK-623/II
Katarzyna Przybyło was a wife of Grzegorz (died 1547), a Kraków goldsmith and elder of the goldsmiths' guild. Her husband also served as a juror, and later as a Kraków councillor.
Portrait of Grzegorz Przybyło, M. Schilling (?), Kraków, 1534, MHK/624/II
Grzegorz Przybyło (died 1547) was a Kraków goldsmith and elder of the goldsmiths' guild. He also served as a juror, and later as a Kraków councillor. As a wealthy burgher of Kraków, he was portrayed with his wife, Katarzyna.
