Obraz małych polskich miast w literaturze z XVI i XVII wieku

The article deals with the issue of the perception of small Polish towns by authors of literary works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Due to the fact that this type of settlements prevailed in the urban landscape of our country, it is interesting whether the authors gave them any attention and, if so, what problems of the towns were raised. The analysis shows that this topic was marginally discussed. Towns in general, even the largest ones, did not enjoy any particular interest of artists. Small towns, however, most often appear as a collective entity. What drew artists’ attention were wooden buildings, which often constitute the towns’ weakness. The authors devote a little more attention to urban craftsmen, having the worst opinion about them. However, these are essentially the views of the nobility, thus show its negative attitude towards towns and townspeople.