Rynek Starego Miasta (Old Town Market Square)

Rynek Starego Miasta (Old Town Market Square), 1945

The square looking north-west towards the Dekert side, with children playing on the cobbles

The burned-out shells of the Dekert side townhouses after the Warsaw Uprising

Crowds at the ceremony opening the rebuilt Old Town, 22 July 1953

Rebuilt townhouses on the square, with a car parked in the foreground

Cars parked in front of the rebuilt townhouses

The Kołłątaj side of the square in 1991

The square with the water pump and the Mermaid statue, looking towards the Dekert side

Source: Jan Bułhak · Public domain (PD-Poland)

All photos

The townhouses of the Old Town Market Square largely kept their 17th–18th-century form until 1944; in 1928–1929 their façades were repainted with new polychromes. During and after the Warsaw Uprising the Old Town was almost completely destroyed. In 1949–1953 the townhouses were reconstructed using surviving fragments and historical records, and the square was reopened on 22 July 1953. The rebuilt Old Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980.