Kraków Gate

This is one of the oldest surviving photographs of Lublin. The unknown author immortalised the Brama Krakowska as the place around which the everyday life of the city revolves. At the time when the photograph was taken, the gate had not performed its original defensive function for a long time. Because of its height it was the seat of the fire brigade. From the last storey, almost 30 metres, the firemen watched to see if there was a fire. In addition, they posted a board with the current air temperature in two languages - Russian and Polish, as can be seen in the photograph: "14 stopni tiepła" [14-degree warmth]. During the annexation period, Russian was the official language.

The tenements adjacent to the Krakowska Gate were built at the end of the 18th century, when it was allowed to use the old defensive walls as building walls. The tenement house on the right of the photo housed the Central Hotel, owned by the Steiner family. Here you could rent a room and have a meal in the adjacent restaurant, which was later renamed the Central Bar. On the other side of the building, L. Świetlicka's laundry was located on the ground floor.

In the foreground, one can see men gathered around the city well. It was one of twenty public wells in 19th-century Lublin. A fee had to be paid for taking water. Wells are a very important element of every developing city, because the supply of water from rivers was very burdensome for the inhabitants. From the beginning of the 16th century, water was supplied via the Old Polish pipeline from Wrotkowo, a few kilometres away. Due to the mid-17th century wars, the pipeline was destroyed and the equipment was dismantled. From that time on, people started to dig wells in Lublin.