About This Location
This small space beside Pijarska Street feels like a hidden pocket of the Old Town, pressed right up against Kraków’s medieval walls. It sits next to the City Arsenal and the Czartoryski Museum complex, and the alley’s modern name - Zaułek Książąt Czartoryskich - was officially introduced in 2006. One reason this corner matters is the fortifications. The Baszta Stolarska, the tower closest to the Arsenal, was built in the 15th century. It is a four-level, semicircular brick tower on a limestone base, with distinctive cross-shaped loopholes designed for crossbows and early firearms. In the old guild system, its defense was the responsibility of the carpenters and rope-makers. Now look for the figure on the wall-side - Mercury, the Roman god linked with trade and travel. The statue here is a bronze copy of a work by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, placed during the 2006 redesign of the alley. The original version is held in the Czartoryski Museum collection (part of the National Museum in Kraków). This is also where everyday Kraków slips into view. Just by St. Florian’s Gate, paintings are often displayed directly on the old wall - a long-running open-air tradition known as the “Galeria obrazów pod Bramą Floriańską,” associated with the Floriańska 36 gallery. It has operated in this spot since 1979, making the fortifications feel less like a museum object and more like a living street.