After Saturday’s attack in Kraków, the councils of the largest Polish cities say Christmas markets will go ahead, but with additional barriers, patrols and security. The decisions were made at meetings on Monday, 9 November.
Kraków: millions for barriers
The market in the Main Square is to take place, but with extraordinary safety measures. Mayor Łukasz Gibała spoke of an amount of around PLN 6–7 million for barriers around the centre; the first barriers are to be installed this year. We earlier wrote about the mourning declared in Kraków after the attack. On Saturday, 7 November, a 24-year-old man drove a car into the Main Square and opened fire; six people were killed and 15 were injured.
The Independence Day celebrations in Kraków on Tuesday, as the city office reported, will be quieter and without entertainment elements, focused at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Matejko Square.
What other cities are announcing
- Wrocław: the mayor has decided to purchase further concrete barriers and mobile barriers. They are to be available before the opening of the Christmas Market. More patrols are also to appear on Ostrów Tumski.
- Lublin: PLN 500,000 for additional police duty and more patrols by the police and municipal guard. Two markets in the centre will be covered by security.
- Warsaw: Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said that, following police recommendations, concrete barriers have been set up on Krakowskie Przedmieście, and more will appear if needed.
- Gdańsk: more officers have been deployed to the city centre.
- Katowice: the police announce intensified patrols around the market square and city centre. Additional barriers were discussed with the market organiser, which opens in a week; an external company will also provide security.
- Gliwice: tightened rules are to apply also during the market, which opens on 28 November.
- Rzeszów: Mayor Konrad Fijołek announces physical barriers around the Christmas Town on the Market Square.
- Zabrze: the city recommends that market organisers choose locations away from car traffic and, if necessary, a closed or separated area, a threat analysis and consultations with the police.
No events cancelled
Local government representatives consistently declare that the markets will not be cancelled. Security measures are to be matched to the location and risk assessment. For visitors, in practice this means more barriers at the entrances to the squares, more visible patrols and possible changes in traffic organisation around the markets.
The issue of safety at Christmas events had already come up earlier – in December 2025, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) detained a student suspected of planning an attack on a Christmas market.
