Lublin. Krakowskie Przedmieście

The western suburb of Lublin, called Krakowskie Przedmieście, took its name from the road leading towards Kraków. The old route led from the walled city along what later became Kozia and Narutowicza Streets. From the Krakowska Gate, situated on the edge of the city, another road also led out, which marked out the space of today's Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. This route was lined with wooden beams in the Middle Ages. Initially, houses surrounded by gardens stood along the paved surface. In the 17th century dense brick buildings began to appear along the shaped course of the street. With time, Krakowskie Przedmieście became the main and representative street of Lublin, divided into three sections. The first one ran from the Łokietka Square to the Litewski Square. The second section ran as far as the Litewski Square. The third section, the latest one, ended near the Saxon Garden and the junction with Lipowa Street.

The final fragment of Krakowskie Przedmieście was immortalised on the postcard published in 1917 in the Krakow publishing house ‘Sztuka’. The view from the entrance to the city garden showed the perspective of a paved street with a separate pavement and frontages of tenement houses stretching on both sides. The characteristic park fence and the caretaker's house with high neo-Gothic turrets, which have survived to the present day, clearly separated the green areas from the typical urban buildings. Captured on a colourful postcard, the contrast gave the space a picturesque quality.