Kraków The Host City: Stories – Episode 12: From an inn to a confectionary

In the 17th century, the number of inns and taverns was considerable; they were concentrated mainly in the vicinity of Kleparz Market, Stradom and the main Market Square, particularly at Sławkowska and Floriańska Streets and along the Royal Route. In the following century, taprooms, beer bars, wine bars and meaderies continued to be popular. The turn of the 18th and 19th centuries was characterised by the opening of new types of establishments - confectioneries and cafés – which had a lasting impact on the culture of everyday life and customs of Kraków. The emergence of new eateries offered the opportunity to spend leisure time away from home and integrate local society by providing a place for social gatherings. What is more, it influenced the development of a new confectionery profession. Over time, confectioners gained status and renown in the city, which made it easier for them to set up their guild by distinguishing themselves from the bakers' guild.

The demand for a new product necessary to produce confectionery products increased, i.e., beet sugar, produced in sugar refineries established in Galicia (in 1839, there were ten sugar refineries). Hence, Kraków and Lviv were the main centres of the sugar trade in the mid-19th century. Imports and demand for coffee, on the other hand, were essential for café owners, and coffee was initially sold in colonial shops.

One of the first significant confectioneries in the 18th century belonged to Dominik Wieland and was located in a tenement house called Kromerowska at Market Square. The second considerable establishment was at 5 Grodzka Street and belonged to the Cypcer family of confectioners. At the corner of the Market Square and Bracka Street was the confectionery of Bernard Taroni, later taken over by Tomasz Maliszewski, a Warsaw confectioner. Stanisław Rehman ran Viennese-style cafes, e.g., at 35 Market Square or in the Sukiennice, where Jan Noworolski's so-called Noworol café later operated. A Wiener (a man from Vienna), Ferdinand Winter, who leased the Wielopolski Palace (now the City Hall), opened an elegant café on the ground floor, which enjoyed a good reputation among the burghers. Władysław Schmidt's café at Planty Park had a glass-covered veranda. Franciszek Sauer opened cafés in a corner tenement house at Sławkowska and Szczepańska Streets, which featured a separate billiard room and two reading rooms – one for ladies and one for gentlemen. In a tenement house at 38 Szpitalna Street, Ferdynand Turliński ran the Paon café, a favourite of the artistic world of Kraków at the time. The café that has remained popular to the present day is the Lviv confectionery founded by Jan Apolinary Michalik, known as Jama Michalika.

Over the years, the number of confectioneries decreased, and the number of cafés increased. There were many reasons for this state of affairs. The basic one was the long process of learning and working to prepare for the confectioner's profession, whereas to own a café one only needed the capital to open the premises, obtain a concession and pay taxes. Interestingly, in 1881, out of 63 cafés, 47 were owned by women (for example, Sędrakowska, Koziarska, and Dyktarska), while there was only one (Maria Wieland) among confectionery owners. Women were influential in improving the standard and attractiveness of the premises. They were mindful of the quality of the products and paid attention to cleanliness, orderliness, and interior design.

Confectioneries and cafés were essential points on the map of Kraków. In addition to enriching the cultural life of residents and tourists, they were places where ideas were exchanged, and where artistic currents emerged and philosophies were born.

In the next episode, we will tell you about the history of the Polish Travel Agency ‘Orbis’, to which we invite you now :)