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Museums in Krakow

I will be in Krakow for two days to do history research. I want to return to the underground museum by the Cloth Hall. What other museums would you recommend for the history of Polish people from ancient times to about WWI? I have been to these sites: Main Market Square Stunning heart of Kraków and a people magnet any time of day.

Schindler's Factory Museum Historic building where Oskar Schindler saved more than 1,000 Jewish workers, now filled with engaging exhibit about Kraków's WWII experience.

St. Mary's Church Landmark church with extraordinary wood-carved Gothic altarpiece.

Cloth Hall Fourteenth-century market hall with 21st-century souvenirs.

Clock Tower at the Rynek

Wawel Cathedral Poland's splendid national church, with tons of tombs, a crypt, and a climbable tower.

Wawel Castle Grounds Historic hilltop with views, castle, cathedral, courtyard with chakras, and a passel of museums.

Old Jewish Cemetery Poignant burial site in Kazimierz, with graves from 1552 to 1800.

Rynek Underground Museum Super-modern exhibit on medieval Kraków filling excavated cellars beneath the Main Market Square.

Ethnographic Museum Traditional rural Polish life on display.

Pharmacy Under the Eagle Small Podgórze exhibit about the Holocaust in Kraków, including three evocative historic films.

Auschwitz, the Salt Mine and the nearby ethnographic village/skansen

Thanks!

Posted by
3904 posts

Definitely check out the National Museum when in Krakow (https://mnk.pl/branch/main-building), one of the the best art and culture museums in Poland.

Their collection goes beyond "art" in the traditional sense, as my favourite exhibition in the National Museum is called 'Arms and Uniforms in Poland', with authentic pieces dating from from 12th to 20th centuries, including beautifully crafted armor, swords, firearms, cavalry regalia, and original Napoleonic military uniforms.

They also have many other exhibits beyond paintings and such.

Posted by
256 posts

Wow! That is quite a prodigious list of museums you’ve tackled so far. I guess you’re building up to crescendo with Kraków’s ultimate museum of all. I mean how else would you have overlooked Krakow Pinball Museum, right?

I ❤️ Krakow

Posted by
170 posts

I've been there three times in the past eight years. We've been to the synagogues also. I think this is perhaps my last time to visit. My DH is hesitant to travel anymore, so I'm flying solo, but those future visits would be icing on the cake.

I'm also venturing out on the trams, which will be my first time. I've taken buses and trains in Poland, but trams, not yet!

Posted by
164 posts

The Czartoryski Museum has reopened after being closed for several years. That’s where da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” is now located. She is a beauty - don’t miss her! We saw her in 2018 when she was at the Main Building.

I believe there is free admission on Tuesdays. You can buy your tickets on the main museum site mnk.pl

Posted by
7311 posts

Don't forget that advance booking is essential for Auschwitz. It's a long trip out and back.

Check for open hours, or concerts, in notable Synagogues.

As you noted, the (sells out daily) Schindler Museum is more of an Occupation Museum than about Schindler's biography.