Plac Centralny

Kraków


This sprawling square and tram stop serves as the centrepoint of the Nowa Huta workers' housing estate. The square dates from 1949, and the buildings here are among the oldest and grandest of the entire communist-era building project. A statue of Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin once stood here; Lenin must be rolling in his tomb these days. In 2004, officials decided to rename the square to honour the former US president, Ronald Reagan.

Transportation

  • tram: 4, 10, 22, 44

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kraków attractions

1. Aleja Róż

0.13 MILES

This graceful, park-like avenue runs through the centre of the Nowa Huta workers' housing estate.

3. Nowa Huta Museum

0.35 MILES

Two blocks north of Plac Centralny, the Nowa Huta Museum is more like a glorified tourist office, but there is a small, well-curated exhibit space…

4. Teatr Ludowy

0.58 MILES

Nowa Huta's socialist-realistic architectural aesthetic extends to the area's main theatre, which was built in 1955. Early shows may have been dedicated…

5. Nowa Huta Underground

0.66 MILES

Nowa Huta's newest attraction opened in 2019 and focuses on the quarter's extensive network of atomic fallout shelters, built up in the 1950s and '60s…

6. Church of St Bartholomew

0.79 MILES

The small, shingled Church of St Bartholomew dates from the mid-15th century, which makes it Poland’s oldest surviving three-nave timber church. It was…

7. Cistercian Abbey

0.85 MILES

The Cistercian Abbey consists of a church and monastery, with a large garden-park behind it. The Cistercians came to Poland in 1140 and founded abbeys…

8. Arka Pana

0.95 MILES

The retro-modern Arka Pana was the first church in Nowa Huta, built from 1967 to 1977 after much controversy. Authorities had intended the workers' suburb…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "poland/malopolska/krakow/attractions/plac-centralny/a/poi-sig/1623122/360295",
      "destination": "Kraków",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Poland",
      "city": "Kraków",
      "position": "superzone"
    }