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Museums in Krakow with specialist collections
Krakow boasts the best collections in
Poland, and some of its treasures are the envy of every museum in
the world. Click here to go to the major
Krakow museums. Following are
Krakow sites with
collections of special interest.
To
watch: video
tours of Krakow museums |
Cathedral Museum
/ Muzeum Katedralne on the Wawel Hill
Best items from the Wawel Cathedral's
treasure-house.
Best items from the Wawel
Cathedral's treasure-house.
Open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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University Museum
/ Muzeum Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego
at 15 Jagiellonska street, phone (+48) 124220549.
The 15th-century grand Collegium Maius, the
oldest building of the Jagiellonian
University, features ancient lecture rooms, communal halls,
former professors’ quarters, library and treasury with the Gothic
sceptres of rectors and the famous golden ‘Jagiellonian
globe’. The exhibits include medieval science instruments,
ancient globes as well as assorted paintings and other art objects,
furniture, coins, medals, etc.
Opening hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and to
from 10 a.m. 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Closed on Sundays.
Admittance for
individual visitors is free of charge on Tuesdays, from 3 p.m. to 6
p.m.
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National Museum’s Jan Matejko’s House /
Dom Jana Matejki
at 41 Florianska street, phone (+48) 124225926.
House of the great 19th-century Polish painter turned into the
museum on his life and art.
Open
Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum stays closed on Mondays.
Free admission on Tuesdays (permanent shows only).
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Jewish Museum
Old Synagogue / Stara Synagoga
at 24 Szeroka street, phone (+48) 124220962.
The ‘Tradition and Culture of Polish Jews’ permanent exhibition
in the 15th-century Old Synagogue
features ancient items from
Krakow synagogues, exhibits pertaining to
religious rites and family traditions, and pictures of the life of
the Kazimierz Jewish quarter of the old.
Another exhibition shows Holocaust.
Open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
except Mondays when open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission is free on Mondays.
Museum in the Old Synagogue is a branch of the City of Krakow
Historical Museum.
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Oskar Schindler’s Factory / Fabryka Oskara Schindlera
at 4 Lipowa street, phone (+48) 122571017, website
www.mhk.pl
Permanent exhibition in Schindler’s Factory is called ‘Krakow under
Nazi Occupation 1939-1945’ and shows the city’s wartime experiences
through set-piece arrangements and multimedia as well as artefacts
and documents. Part of the museum has been set aside for temporary
displays.
Open on weekends, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. plus on Mondays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. except
the first Monday of every month.
Admittance is free of charge on Mondays.
Schindler’s Factory constitutes a branch of the City of Krakow
Historical Museum.
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EUROPEUM - European Culture Center/ EUROPEUM - Osrodek
Kultury Europejskiej
at 6 Plac Sikorskiego square.
A branch of the Krakow National Museum.
Closed. To reopen as the Stanislaw Wyspianski Museum. |
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"Manggha" Museum of
Japanese Art and Technology
/ Muzeum Sztuki i Techniki Japonskiej Manggha
at 26 Konopnickiej
street, phone (+48) 122672703.
Permanent exhibition of famous ancient Japanese woodblocks, exquisite
handcrafts, and samurai weapons and armor in the modern building of
Manggha Center of Japanese Art and Technology
designed by Arata Isozaki.
Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed on
Mondays.
Free admission on Tuesdays.
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The Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum /
Muzeum im. Emeryka Hutten-Czapskiego
at 12 Pilsudskiego street, phone
(+48) 124335840 or 124335841.
Branch of
National Museum in Krakow exhibits its
unique numismatic collection of historic coins, banknotes, and
medals.
Open
Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum stays closed on Mondays
Free admission on Tuesdays (permanent shows only).
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Museum of Natural History / Muzeum
Przyrodnicze PAN
at 9 Sebastiana street, phone (+48) 124291049.
The place boasts the world’s only ice-age
hairy rhino
found almost intact in 1929. Plus assorted fossils, examples of
extinct and endangered species, Poland’s fauna, shells, insects,
minerals, etc.
Open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Hipolit House
/
Kamienica Hipolitow
at 3 Plac Mariacki square, phone (+48) 124224219.
Old burgher mansion next to the Grand Square
shows historical interiors of Krakow houses from the 17th c. to the
mid 20th c. Plus temporary exhibitions.
Open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Thursday noon to 7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and the second Sunday of
every month.
Free admission on Wednesdays.
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Rynek Underground
/
Podziemia Rynku
under Rynek Glowny central square, entry in the
Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) phone (+48)
124265002.
Subterranean spaces contain a permanent
exhibition called ‘Following the Traces of European Identity of
Krakow’. It features an archeological park, excavated medieval
artifacts, and ingenious multimedia presentations that show the
history of Krakow’s pivotal central square from the 11th century on.
Open on weekends, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. plus on Tuesdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. except
the first Tuesday of every month.
Admittance is free of charge on Mondays.
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National Museum’s
The Szolaysky House /
Kamienica Szolayskich
at 9 Plac Szczepanski
square and Szczepanska
street, phone (+48) 122928185.
Open
Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum stays closed on Mondays.
Free admission on Tuesdays (permanent shows only).
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National Museum’s
Jozef Mehoffer House /
Dom Jozefa Mehoffera
at 26 Krupnicza street,
phone (+48) 124211143.
Biographical museum of the noted Polish painter, born 1869, in the
house he bought in the 1930s and where he lived till death in 1946.
Open
Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum stays closed on Mondays.
Free admission on Tuesdays (permanent shows only)
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Pharmacy Museum / Muzeum Farmacji
at 25 Florianska street, phone (+48) 124219279.
Old pharmacies, their equipment, street signs, etc. plus varied
curios. Allegedly biggest such museum in Europe.
Open on Tuesdays from noon to 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday through Sunday
from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
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Photography Museum /
Muzeum Historii Fotografii
at 16 Jozefitów street, phone (+48) 126345932.
The Museum boasts unique daguerreotypes, old photographs, cameras,
studio and darkroom equipment. Temporary exhibitions display photos
of the present day and the past.
Open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesday trough
Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Free admission on Sundays.
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Museum of Municipal Engineering / Muzeum Inzynierii Miejskiej
at 15 Sw. Wawrzynca street, phone (+48) 124211242.
Old vehicles and means of the Krakow public transport on the site of
the city’s former streetcar shed dating back to 1900. Plus exhibits
illustrating presence of the technology in everyday life over the
last two centuries.
Open weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Thursday 10 a.m.– 4 p.m., and Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed on Mondays.
Admission is free on Tuesdays.
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Home Army Museum
/ Muzeum Armii Krakowej
at 12 Wita Stwosza street, phone (+48) 124100770.
Poland’s Home Army was the largest military resistance organization in
the whole Nazi-occupied Europe during the WW2, and the museum tries
to show it through documents, photos, weapons, uniforms, etc.
Closed on Mondays. Open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Pomorska street / Ulica Pomorska
at 2 Pomorska street, phone (+48) 126331414.
Exhibition on the WW2 martyrdom and anti-nazi resistance in Krakow in
the former seat of the dreadful Gestapo police force. Plus
documentation of Stalinist regime in the city.
Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free admission.
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Remembrance Museum
- Eagle Pharmacy /
Apteka Pod Orlem
at 18 Plac Bohaterow Getta square, phone (+48) 126565625.
Documents and photos on the premises of former
Krakow ghetto
pharmacy that covered
up the Polish assistance to Jews show the tragedy of Holocaust.
Open Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Sundays and first Tuesday of
every month.
Free admission on Mondays.
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Amber Museum /
Muzeum Bursztynu
at 12 Jana Street (50 meters from Krakow's Rynek Glowny central square).
Unique exhibits showing amber's natural beauty and providing knowledge about its origin as well as the history of amber crafting. Exhibition ‘Amber - Its Beauty and History’, developed by the PAN Museum of the Earth in Warsaw, informs how amber
formed, where one can find it, how it was extracted, and what it has been used for.
Open every day 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Free admission.
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Stained Glass Museum / Muzeum Witrazu
at 23 Al. Krasinskiego avenue, phone (+48)
512937979, Website
www.muzeumwitrazu.pl.
Poland’s oldest active workshop in
the trade, est. 1902, doubles as a museum of stained-glass art and
craft. Its interiors have retained the original character,
furniture, and equipment. Plus the exhibition shows outstanding
examples of stained-glass windows. Lucky visitors may happen to
watch masters of stained glass at work.
Guided tours only. Tours in English are
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at noon,
1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm, and 6 pm. Visitors need to turn up in the Museum at least 15 minutes
before the tour.
A regular ticket costs 32 zloties (PLN).
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MICET (Interactive Museum / Theatre Education Center)
at 1 Jagiellonska street (The National Stary Theater), phone (+48) 124224040.
Visitors get access to five "pathways" built around past and current
productions of the renowned National Stary Theater. Each consists of
educational activities and creative exercises.
Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, Tuesdays , Wednesdays,
Thursdays, and Fridays, Closed on Mondays.
Regular ticket costs 12 zloties (PLN).
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Celestat
at 16 Lubicz street, phone (+48) 124293791.
History of Krakow’s Cock Fraternity, the 700-year-old shooting
association, in its hall and former shooting range: pictures,
memorabilia, costumes, old documents, etc.
Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Free admission on Wednesdays.
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Zoological Museum
/ Muzeum Zoologiczne UJ
at 6 Ingardena street, phone (+48) 126632414.
Fauna of the world on display at the Zoological Institute of the
Jagiellonian University: 6,000 species from all over the globe
and a collection of exotic mollusks.
Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. Closed on weekends and Wednesdays.
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Young Poland’s ‘Rydlowka’ Museum
/ Muzeum Mlodej Polski Rydlowka
at 28 Tetmajera street, phone (+48) 126370750.
The manor house, where in 1900 a wedding party proved formative to the
Young Poland artistic movement, turned into a museum of the event.
Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday
from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Regular ticket costs 12 zloties (PLN).
Free admission on Tuesdays.
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To see Krakow's main museums click here
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Tip: Most Krakow
museums admit visitors free of charge one day every week (see our page
about Budget Krakow to find details). Also,
each Krakow museum is inaccessible one day a week. Besides, many a site
closes fairly early, i.e. something like 3 p.m. They may also keep
shorter hours or even stay shut on holidays and – in some cases – out of
the tourist season. The museums stay closed on major holidays such as
Christmas, New Year, Easter, and November 1 (All Saints' Day), |
Most wanted in Krakow
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