In the photo (Photo No. 388) taken by one of Skalski brothers, from the window of the town house belonging to them in 1930s, there was captured the view that no longer exists at present. Today, there is no diagonal road across the town square that led from the Krakowska Street and Waksmundzka Street to Kolejowa Street and that constituted probably the only break in the regular plan of the town center demarcated consequently already in the Middle Ages. This non-existent road is something symbolic and meaningful, since it testifies that there is a certain human habit that belong to our nature that we, as people, always choose the shortest and the most comfortable roads. Two horse-drawn carriages are coming home with wooden balks on them cut down in one of the forests in the Gorce Mountains. The sun is shining, some passers-by are going in the opposite direction, the trees are casting cold shadows, life is going on in its slow rhythm, everything is different in comparison with present times.

The similar view of the Main Square, in winter scenery with the Tatra Mountains that appears over the town houses in the southern frontage of the Main Square, was captured by Michał Rekucki in 1913 in the picture entitled “Z mojego okna” (“From my window”) which at present is in the collection of the Museum.

The view of the Main Square can be also found in the photographs taken by Morawetz. The town houses, the corner town and the seat of the District Court in the eastern frontage of the Main Square, which were photographed in 1920s (Photo no. 510) are presented in a very representative and elegant way.

The documental value have photographs taken during the period of occupation by the photographer from Zakopane, Zbigniew Sułkowski who, scrupulously, captured the small village fair on the Main Square, as well as the architecture of the northern and western frontage during winter, cloudy days (Photo No. 394, 396, 397, 398, 399, 400, 401)

The photographs from the collections of the Museum depict also the other image of the town and, simultaneously, visualize the scale of changes that is connected with stabilization of political situation in Galicia which, in 1867, achieved the autonomy. Already at the end of 19th century, the capital of Podhale (Nowy Targ) was being developed and modernized very rapidly overcoming the past problems caused by many economic and civilizational failures. Moreover, there were many municipal investments including some public utility buildings, that are showpieces of the town till now. It is characteristic that those wide-ranging plans were conducted with great care and attention so that the newly built elements of the town did not collide with the old order and architectural tradition. The brick buildings of the Female school and the Male school (already non-existent) and the building of “Sokół” that were much larger than the other buildings in the town, were located on the Main Square which, thanks to that, became the most representative square in the town (Photos No. 185, 386, 358, 392, 332).

In 1909, the small Main Square was renamed to Słowacki Square in order to commemorate the centenary of patriotic manifestations that underlined the continuity of Polish culture. In 1912, the authorities made the decision to demolish the building of the old school that was located between Słowacki Square and Szkolna Street.