A cloth hall or linen hall (German: Gewandhaus; Polish : Sukiennice; French: Halle aux draps; Dutch: Lakenhal) is a historic building located in the centre of the main marketplace of a European town. Cloth halls were built from mediaeval times into the 18th century.
A cloth hall contained trading stalls for the sale, particularly, of cloth but also of leather, wax, salt, and exotic imports such as silks and spices.
Poland
In Poland, the most famous existing cloth- hall building is Kraków 's Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), rebuilt in 1555 in Renaissance style.
The 14th-century Gothic cloth hall in Toruń is preserved as part of the Old Town Market Hall.
Cloth halls formerly also existed in Poznań, at the Old Market Square ; and in Wrocław, at the site of the street now called ulica Sukiennice (Cloth- Hall Street ).
Germany
Examples of German Gewandhäuser can be found in the towns of Brunswick, Zwickau, and Leipzig.
The rebuilt, third Leipzig Gewandhaus is home to the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
