Museums in Krakow

Krakow is one of the richest city in museum collections in Central Europe. The history of museology in Krakow started at the end of XIX century. The oldest museum in the city is The Archaeology Museum which was opened in 1850.

The most famous museum in Krakow is Wawel Royal Castle – State Art Collection. The museum is located on the Wawel Hill, dominant feature of the Krakow’s landscape. It is a Jurassic limestone rock which was formed around 150 million years ago.
The history of the Castle started in the mid 11th century and from the beginnings it was a residence of Polish rulers.
The main exhibition of the museum consists of a few rooms – State Rooms, for example: The Royal Chapel, The Eagle Room, The Governor’s Parlour, The Senator’s Hall. Other exhibitions are:Royal Private Apartments, Crown Treasury and Armoury, Oriental Art, The Low Wawel, Dragon’s Den, Sandomierska Tower, Leonardo da Vinci “Lady with an Ermine”, Tadeusz Kuntze “The Death of Priam”, The Shuysky Czars before King Sigismund III in 1611 and “The Royal Garden Tour”.

After the visit at the Castle you cannot forget about taking a picture with the Wawel Dragon Statue! It is located at the foot of the Wawel Hill.

The National Museum is the oldest museum in Krakow named as “the national”. The museum was established in 1879 and it is thelargest museum institution in Poland – in terms of the number of buildings (17), departments (11) and objects (almost 780 000).
The departments are:
– Main Building – at the museum you can find collections: Gallery of the 20-th Century Polish Art, Gallery of the Arms and Uniforms in Poland, Gallery of the Decorative Art.
– Sukiennice Museum – Gallery of the 19-th Century Polish Art, the museum is located at the Main Market Square.
– The Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace on Kanonicza Street.
– The Matejko House on Florianska Street.
– Szołayski House (Kamienica Szołayskich) – formerly the city’s Wyspiański Museum. The museum presents an exhibition entitled ‘Forever Young! Poland and its art around 1900.’ At the museum you can find plenty works of Stanisław Wyspiański. The museum is located on Szczepanski Square.
– The Mehoffer House on Krupnicza Street.
– The Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Collection – the biggest and the most value collection of Polish numismatics.
– The Princes Czartoryski Museum – There are four permanent exhibitions at the Princes Czartoryski Museum: Gallery of European Painting, European Decorative Arts and Puławy Memorabilia, Armoury and Gallery of Antiquities.
– The Princess Czartoryski Library
– The Karol Szymanowski Museum in the Villa Atma in Zakopane
– EUROPEUM Centre of European Culture – the museum is situated in a granary from the XVII century. At the museum you can admire a big collection of the history of European Art.

Another very important museum institution is The Historical Museum of the city of Krakow.
The Museum Divisions:
– Main Branch at Krzysztofory Palace – it is a small baroque palace located at Main Market Square
– Town Hall Tower
– Krakow barbican (Barbakan)
– Defensive Walls with St. Florian’s Gate
– Old Synagogue Museum of Jewish History and Culture – it is the oldest synagogue building still standing in Poland.
– Oskar Schindler’s Factory – got famous after the movie of Steven Spielberg “Schindler’s List”. Must see place in Krakow especially for those who want to go deep to the history of the II World War
– Tadeusz Pankiewicz Under the Eagle Pharmacy
– Pomorska street Gestapo prison with the exhibition of “People of Krakow in Times of Terror 1939-1945-1956”
– Hipolit Manor
– Under the Cross Manor (under renovation as of March 2008)
– Rynek Underground Museum – are you at the Main Square? Why don’t go under?! Take a tour around the underground exhibition which presents close connection between Middle Age Krakow and other Middle Age European cities.
– History of the Nowa Huta Museum
– Celestat
– Zwierzyniecki Manor

KrakowShuttle offers a tour during which you can visit three of the museums. It is “Krakow Memorial Route Tour” and it includes a visit at Schindler’s Factory, Under the Eagle Pharmacy and Pomorska Street.

Other interesting museums in Krakow:
– MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art – next door to Schindler’s Factory.
– Polish Aviation Museum – very impressive collection of over 200 aircrafts – KrakowShuttle organizes a tour to the Museum. It is a fully organized tour.
– Manggha Museum – Museum of Japanese Art and Technology
– The Ethnographic Museum – book a tour with KrakowShuttle ‘‘Evening Folk Tour” which includes an exciting guided visit at the museum and a traditional Polish dinner at a restaurant.

It is only a piece of the rich museum offer of Krakow. If you want to visit one of the described museum, please contact us – KrakowShuttle will organize with a big pleasure a tour for you!

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