Floriańska Street in Kraków

Floriańska Street is a 335-metre section of the Royal Route that runs from the north-eastern corner of the Main Market Square to St Florian's Gate. It is one of the most densely built-up streets of the Old Town: almost every townhouse here has its own name, history and a famous resident.

Where the street and its name come from

The street was laid out in 1257, when the city was chartered, as the first section of the old road to the north. It takes its name from St Florian's Gate, which closes the view along the street on the north side and leads towards St Florian's Church. In old sources the street also appears as "platea Sancti Floriani", that is, St Florian Street, and as Tworzyjańska Street.

Beyond the gate the road continues: the direct extension of Floriańska is Jan Matejko Square, and beyond it Warszawska Street. On the south side the street begins at the Main Market Square.

Townhouses on Floriańska

More than 20 townhouses on this street stand out for their rich architecture and interior decoration, and their styles range from Gothic through Renaissance to Baroque. At first wealthy burghers and nobles lived here, and from the 18th century inns, hotels and restaurants developed.

• No. 1, Pod Murzynami: a townhouse with a Renaissance relief of two Black men, which inspired a poem by Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński,
• No. 3, Korlansowska: a 14th-century townhouse with a polychrome by Michał Stachowicz, owned by Marcin Siennik, physician to Sigismund Augustus,
• No. 7, Pod Matką Boską: its façade has a Renaissance Madonna,
• No. 14, Pod Różą: a former hotel where Franz Liszt and Tsar Alexander I stayed; the portal from around 1550 is adorned with a Latin saying about the durability of a house,
• No. 15, Pod Wiewiórką: in 1578-1674 the Piotrkowczyk printing house operated here, later an academic one,
• No. 25, Pod Świętą Teklą: a building from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, today the seat of the Pharmacy Museum of the Jagiellonian University Medical College,
• No. 42, Pod Białym Orłem: today the Hotel Polski; in 1879 Ludwik Waryński, founder of the Proletariat party, was arrested here.

Among the street's residents and guests were also people of culture: at number 11, in the Pod Aniołkiem townhouse, the comedy writer Michał Bałucki was born in 1837, and at number 34 Wojciech Stattler, a painter and professor and the teacher of Jan Matejko, was born. At number 37 Henryk Frist founded the Salon of Polish Painters.

Jan Matejko's House

At number 41 stands a 16th-century building in which Jan Matejko was born, lived, worked and died. The façade was designed in 1872 by the painter himself and the architect Tomasz Pryliński. On 2 September 1880 Emperor Franz Joseph visited Matejko in his studio here.

After the painter's death his friends turned the house into a museum. In 1904 it became a branch of the National Museum.

Michalik's Den and the cafés

At number 45, in the Bełziński townhouse, is the confectioner's shop "Jama Michalika" (Michalik's Den), founded by the Lviv confectioner Jan Michalik. In the first years of the 20th century it became the seat of the artistic cabaret "Zielony Balonik" (Green Balloon).

The tram on Floriańska

In 1882 a horse-drawn tram line was opened on the street, and in 1901 it was replaced by an electric line. Trams ran here until 27 June 1952.

Practical information

• The street lies in the Old Town, between the Main Market Square and St Florian's Gate; it is 335 m long and is part of the Royal Route.
• Just beyond the gate stands the Barbican, and Planty Park runs along the city walls, so the walk is easy to extend.
• The Jan Matejko Museum (no. 41) and the Pharmacy Museum (no. 25) have their own opening hours. Check them on the museums' websites before your visit.
• The interiors of the townhouses can be visited where they are open as museums or businesses; the rest can be seen from outside, in the façades and portals.