KrakowInformer.com

Krakow Museums

Krakow is perhaps the richest city in Poland when it comes to museums. The collections reflect the long and multicultural tradition of Cracow as well as the personalities and interests of its greatest inhabitants. The two factors lead to the outstanding variety of the Krakow museums, containing Polish and international art (with quite a big chunk of the Orient), and often gathering exhibits as varied as ancient Egyptian mummies, Renaissance paintings and contemporary installations, if not under one roof, than certainly on a single street.

Most of the Krakow museums are open daily except Mondays, from around 10a.m. to 4 or 6p.m. Tickets to the permanent exhibitions in most of the museums are are free on Sundays, and reduced tickets are usually available for students with international student cards. Sadly, in some of the Krakow museums (especially the smaller ones), the staff still fails to communicate in English, but it seems to be changing for the better.

The National Museum in Krakow (Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie)

The richest museum in Poland, containing a collection of more than seven hundred thousand exhibits. Its nine divisions include the Main Building of the National Museum, housing an excellent exhibition of Polish art from the 1890s to the present time, the Czartoryski Museum and the Cloth Hall, containing 18^th and 19^th century Polish art.

Address: 1 3 Maja Avenue (Main building)

Opening Hours: May-October: Tuesday to Saturday: 10a.m.-6p.m.; Sunday: 10a.m.-4p.m.; Closed on Mondays; The ticket offices close 30minutes before the museum.

Ticket Prices: 10zl (20^th Century Polish Art); 6zl (other exhibitions); 20zl (one day ticket to all exhibitions). Free on Sundays. The discount tickets are 50% cheaper. Taking photos costs 15zl (+20zl deposit; you can't use additional lighting or tripods). Audioguide: 15zl.

The Czartoryski Museum

The Czartoryski family managed to gather one of the most outstanding private collections in Poland. The highlight is of course Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine, but canvasses of Rembrandt and Breughel, as well as the Armory, are worth a look, too.

Address: 19 Sw Jana Street

Opening Hours: May-October: Tuesday to Saturday: 10a.m.-6p.m.; Sunday: 10a.m.-4p.m.; Closed on Mondays; The ticket offices close 30minutes before the museum.

Ticket Prices: 10zl (normal); 5zl (discount); Free on Sundays. Taking photos costs 15zl (+20zl deposit; you can't use additional lighting or tripods).

Manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology

Founded by Andrzej Wajda, the museum contains the collection of Oriental art gathered by Feliks 'Manggha' Jasienski and donated to the National Museum in the 1950s. The building is also used as a conference center and houses temporary modern art exhibitions. Also a nice cafe and a great view of the Wawel Castle from the terrace.

Address: 26 Konopnickiej Street

Opening Hours: May-October: Tuesday to Sunday: 10a.m.-6p.m.; Sunday: 10a.m.-4p.m.; Closed on Mondays; The ticket offices close 30minutes before the museum.

Ticket Prices: 15zl (normal); 10zl (discount); Free on Tuesdays.

Wawel Royal Castle

The 'Polish Camelot' is a sight in itself, and the preserved royal chambers are a must-see. Also features an exhibition of Oriental art, the treasury and the armory. The Lost Wawel exhibition presents the history of the Wawel Hill – a treat for archaeologists. Once on the Wawel Hill, visit the Wawel Cathedral and the Dragon's Den.

Opening Hours: April-October: Monday: 9:30a.m.-1p.m. (only the 'Lost Wawel' exhibition and the Royal Chambers); Tuesday to Friday: 9:30a.m.-5p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 11a.m.-6p.m.; Due to a restoration the daily number of visitors is limited, so it's better to go earlier. The last visitors may enter one hour before the museum is closed.

Ticket Prices: 7-20zl, depending on the exhibition; Discount tickets are about 50% cheaper.

City of Krakow Historical Museum

If you're interested in the history of Krakow, it's perhaps better to look around: the main building of this museum is located on the Main Square, with the history virtually all around. The building itself contains old maps, stamps and some documents. Some of its divisions, though, notably the Barbican, the City Walls and the Town Hall Tower, are certainly worth seeing.

Address: 35 Rynek Glowny (Main Square)

Archidiocese Museum

Occupying some of the rooms that Karol Wojtyla – the future Pope John Paul II – used to live in, the museum contains mainly his memorabilia. Apart from that there's also some medieval, renaissance and baroque church art. Don't miss the beautiful courtyards of the buildings on Kanonicza Street that house the museum.

Address: 19-21 Kanonicza Street

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday: 10a.m.-4p.m.; Saturday, Sunday: 10a.m.-3p.m.; Closed on Mondays;

Ticket Prices: 5zl (normal); 3zl (discount).

Archaeological Museum

Containing some precious archaeological findings, the Krakow Archaeological Museum is also the biggest in Poland. Among the exhibits are Egyptian mummies dating from the 4^th century BC, the only Polish exhibits of paleolithic art and a two-meter-high, four-faced statue of Swiatowid, the god of the pagan Slavs, dating from the 9^th century.

Address: 3 Senacka Street

Opening Hours: Monday to Wednesday: 9a.m.-2p.m.; Thursday: 2p.m.-6p.m.; Friday,Sunday: 10a.m.-2p.m.; Closed on Saturdays.

Ticket Prices: 7zl (normal); 5zl (discount); Free on Sundays.

History of Photography Museum

The Museum contains historical exhibits related to the art and technology of photography, including a full darkroom from the 1920s, a camera obscura, and a selection of camera models, showing the technological development of photography.

Address: 16 Jozefitow Street

Opening Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11a.m.-6p.m.; Saturday, Sunday: 10a.m.-3:30p.m.; Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Ticket Prices: 5zl (normal); 3zl (discount); Free on Sundays.

Pharmacy Museum

A museum of the Jagiellonian University's faculty of pharmacy. Among the exhibits are laboratory equipment and some curios, including multiple-use laxatives.

Address: 25 Florianska Street

Opening Hours: Tuesday: 12p.m.-6:30p.m.; Sunday: 10a.m.-2:30p.m.; Closed on Mondays;

Ticket Prices: 7zl (normal); 4zl (discount).

The Museum of the Jagiellonian University

Located in the magnificent Collegium Maius, the University's oldest building. The exhibits, including medieval scientific instruments, furniture, globes, paintings (like one by Eugene Delacroix), coins and medals – all related to the University's history – are shown in rooms that are still marked by their original functions. It also includes the Jagiellonian Globe, one of the first ones to mention the name of America, as well as Nicolaus Copernicus's memorabilia.

Address: 15 Jagiellonska Street

Opening Hours: April-October: Tuesday, Thursday: 10a.m.-5:20p.m.; Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10a.m.-2:20p.m.; Saturday: 10a.m.-1:20p.m.; Closed on Sundays.

Ticket Prices: 16zl (normal); 12zl (discount); Free on Tuesdays 3p.m.-5:20p.m.

The Ethnographic Museum

Poland's biggest museum of this sort is located in the beautiful Town Hall of Kazimierz. It contains a particularly large collection of traditional Polish costumes and folklore from Poland as well as other parts of Europe and the World.

Address: 46 Krakowska Street

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 11a.m.-7p.m.; Thursday: 11a.m.-9p.m.; Closed on Mondays.

Ticket Prices: 8zl (normal); 4zl (discount).

Galicja Jewish Museum

Located in a former Jewish furniture factory, renovated in 2004, the Galicja Jewish Museum has 920 square meters of exposition space. The permanent exhibition, Traces of Memory, consists mostly of photographs by Chris Schwarz, attempting to show the traces of the 800-year existence of the Jewish culture in Poland. Additionally, there's a multilingual bookshop and a cafe.

Address: 18 Dajwor Street

Opening Hours: Summer: daily, 9a.m.-7p.m.; Winter: daily, 10a.m.-6p.m.

Ticket Prices: 12zl (normal); 6zl (discount).

Jewish Museum

The beautiful interiors of the Old Synagogue in Kazimierz house exhibits presenting the history and culture of the Jewish nation. These include mainly everyday and religious objects as well as some paintings, engravings and photographs presenting the life of the Jewish community of Kazimierz before World War II.

Address: 24 Szeroka Street

Opening Hours: April-October: Monday: 10a.m.-2p.m.; Tuesday-Sunday: 9a.m.-5p.m.

Ticket Prices: 8zl (normal); 6zl (discount); Free on Mondays.

“Under the Eagle” Pharmacy (Apteka Pod Orlem)

During World War II, this was the only pharmacy in the Krakow Ghetto, ran by the only non-Jew allowed in the Ghetto, Tadeusz Pankiewicz. Apart from supplying the ghetto inhabitants with ever-needed medicines, the pharmacy was an important point of resistance. It was included in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, and the director himself helped to restore the place. Now it's a division of the City of Krakow Historical Museum and houses a small exhibition.

Address: 18 Plac Bohaterow Ghetta

Opening Hours: April-October: Monday: 10a.m.-2p.m.; Tuesday-Sunday: 9a.m.-5p.m.

Ticket Prices: 8zl (normal); 6zl (discount); Free on Mondays.

Rydlowka

Situated in the Bronowice district (a separate village until the 20^th century), this villa is a museum of the Young Poland movement, closely linked to its artists, now presenting mainly early 20^th century paintings. The name Rydlowka derives from the Rydel family that has owned the house since early 20^th century. The house was in fact built by a painter, Wlodzimierz Tetmajer, brother of poet Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, in late 19^th century. The villa hosted the wedding of poet and playwright Lucjan Rydel that became the base for Stanislaw Wyspianski's masterpiece play Wesele (The Wedding). The house was sold to the Rydels soon after. The unique atmosphere of the Young Poland is still quite strong in the Rydlowka.

Address: 28 Tetmajera Street

Opening Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 10a.m.-2p.m.; Thursday: 3p.m.-7p.m.; Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Krakow Air Museum (Polish Aviation Museum)

Over 200 aircrafts and aircraft parts. The Krakow Air Museum is in the Nowa Huta district, at the place of Krakow's first airfield. In 2009 it will move to a new, three-story building, designed to look like a giant propeller from above.

Address: 39 Jana Pawla II Avenue

Opening Hours: Monday: 9a.m.-4p.m.; Tuesday-Friday: 9a.m.-5p.m.; Saturday, Sunday: 10a.m.-4p.m..

Ticket Prices: 7zl (normal); 5zl (discount).