Mikolaj Wierzynek

Mikolaj Wierzynek was a Cracow merchant of German origin whose family immigrated to Poland in the early fourteenth century, probably from Nuremberg, and made a fortune in trade, mainly in Flemish cloth, and in credit operations.

By 1364 Wierzynek was wealthy enough to entertain in his home five monarchs and nine princes, who attended an important meeting in Cracow. Among them were Emperor Charles IV (r. 1346 – 1378), Casimir III the Great (1333 – 1370), King Peter Lusignan of Cyprus (r. 1358 – 1369), King Louis I of Hungary (r. 1342 – 1382), and Waldemar IV of Denmark (r. 1340 – 1375). The reception was described by the chronicler J. Długosz and became a legend of the wealth of Cracow merchants.