EN
Based on archaeological excavations of the Market Square in Puck in 2007-2010 it was possible to make an attempt at reconstructing the Market Square’s history. An interpretation of research results allowed to state that this area was not permanently settled in the prelocation period. The first cultural layers were namely related to the formation of a new settlement, with regard to a grant of the location privilege in 1348. These layers confirm a dynamic development of Puck in its initial period. The Market Square was not built-up at that time and was used for communication and trade purposes. Small-size constructions may have been situated there, with post-holes, fragments of pavements and bases of hearths being their remains. A rich assemblage of portable finds was gathered from usage layers, includingpottery vessels, as well as leather, wood and metal artefacts. The construction of the Town Hall was a significant caesura in the history of the square. The existence of the Town Hall is confirmed by sources already in 1400. In result of archaeological research, foundations of cellars and basements from three phases of existence of the site of municipal authorities were exposed and documented. The first building burnt down in the 1520s, and it was then rebuilt. The last phase is related to the enlargement of the building in the mid-18th c. The Town Hall eventually fell prey to the conflagration in 1863. It was then pulled down and the area of the square was levelled. A range of trade stalls was erected on the eastern side of the building in the late 15th c. Their existence is confirmed by portable finds, including a pan scales, styli, merchants’ weights and numerous semi-products and artefacts of non-ferrous metals. Trade stalls in the Market Square in Puck are also testified in historical sources. This premise was divided into at least three rooms, which were not connected with one another. It existed, similarly to the earliest Town Hall in Puck, until the fire in the 1520s. Then, its reconstruction was abandoned. An abundant assemblage of portable finds was gathered from the fills of the Town Hall and the stalls. It speaks of the material culture of inhabitants of Puck and the furnishings of the former site of the municipal authorities from the late 15th to the 19th c. The examination of the history of the former Town Hall and trade buildings, as well as the acquisition of the rich assemblage of finds significantly broadens our knowledge about the history of this small town in Pomerania.